They discover a sense of balance, a centeredness. You will never become 100 percent efficient, nor should you expect to be.8.Cut some slack. Kay Koplovitz founder of the USA cable television network, which is on the air 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year. On Saturday, or at ten o'clock on a weeknight, I might be working. They blur the boundaries. Many therapists believe that taking a break from a work routine can have major benefits for mental and physical health.Take the road less traveled. By itself, loving what you do does not ensure success. For more than two decades, there was always some potential claim on her time. But blurring the boundaries is possible more often than you may think. Johnetta Cole, president of Bennett College for Women and former president of Spelman College, does a four-mile walk each morning. Some very successful people achieve balance by setting aside times or days for family, recreation, hobbies or the like." Joel is describing what farmers often do: let a plot rest so the soil can replenish itself. They feel more confident about their choices and more self-reliant. Did the idea work? In six straight championships games!7.

There are powerful rewards for balancing personal interests with the needs of the common good.Rest.Be still. That road may take you to the library or to the golf course. The road less traveled can be a reward after a demanding event, a carrot that you reward your self with or it can be a good way to loosen up before a big event. Having a high energy level is a trait held by many highly successful people. Occasionally, get off the expressway and take a side road, literally and figuratively. Another reward is the better world that you help create.Focus on strategy. Whatever form it takes, time spent alone can have an enormous payoff. No matter what your present level of energy, you can increase it by following these steps:Eat.Make an appointment with yourself. She regards it as a time for centering - for being still and listening.. I do things when the spirit moves me, and when they're appropriate. Don't use your organizer or calendar just for appointments with others.Balance requires continual adjustments, like an acrobat on a high wire who constantly shifts his weight to the right and to the left.Here, drawn from my conversations with many high successful Americans, are ten ideas for balancing all aspects of your life:1.Exercise. If you are healthier and have more stamina, you can work better and longer.Do what you love to do. If people who mean a great deal to you understand what you do, they can share more fully in your successes and failures. All you can do is all you can do. For example, many companies encourage employees to bring their spouses to conferences and annual meetings.4. One of the most wonderful is the sheer joy that can come from giving. It is a great psychological plus for me. The benefits of exercise are mental, emotional, physical and spiritual. It is truly a comprehensive question and gets at the question of wholeness."Some jobs don't lend themselves to this strategy. Try a new route to work, a different radio station or a different cereal.3. Susan Taylor, editorial director of Essence, sees to it that she has quiet time every morning. An illness may upset all your plans. If, but three o'clock the next day, I've crossed off all the "musts," I know that everything else I do that day will be icing on the cake. Or you may help individuals privately, even anonymously. Banish from your mind the idea that everyone takes precedence over you.There is nothing wrong with pushing yourself hard, disciplining yourself to do what needs to be done when you hold yourself to the highest standards. For her, that means staying in her pajamas, unplugging the phone, watching old movie or reading a novel in bed.9. Irregular eating patterns can cause a frayed temper, depression, lack of creativity and a nervous stomach. At time, though, you must forgive yourself. You are in for a lot of frustration if you try to allocate within every day outdoor string light a predetermined portion of time for work, family and your social life.Be a peacetime patriot.Take a break.2.10. One way is to involve people you care about in what you do. But if you love what you do, the time you spend becoming competent is less likely to be drudgery. Bobby Dodd, the legendary football coach at Georgia Tech, knew the power of this concept. Says consultant Alan Weiss, "I work out of my home. Some individuals devote a regular time each day to visualize themselves attaining their goals and dreams. Other individuals who are just as successful do just the opposite. Others read, pray, meditate, do yoga or just contemplate a sunrise or sunset. After something does not work, ask yourself, "Did I do my best? If you did, accept the outcome. Regularly do something you enjoy.

You do not have to do everything. As a boy, Aaron Copeland spent hours listening to his sister practice the piano because he loved music. Several years ago, Posner helped form an organization in his hometown of Rochester, NY to prepare underprivileged children for school and life and, he hopes, break the poverty cycle. A psychologist who has studied creative people reports that they rest often and sleep a lot. You may find some equally worthy way to give something back through your church, hospital, civic club, alumni association or by doing some pro bono work. When I asked him years later if he had even been disappointed by that choice Copeland replied, "My life has been enchanting. Break out of your old mold occasionally, with a new way to dress or a different hobby.Blur the boundaries. Give yourself some prime time. You need to be good at what you love. 5. That builds up stamina and turns you into a pro. That question is, "What am I saving time for?" Strategy has to do with being successful - but successful at what? If others pay your salary, being strategic generally means convincing them that you are spending your time in a way that benefits them. By following that love, he became America's most famous composer of classical must. Achievers talk about an inner strength they find and how it helps them put competing demands into perspective." What a word to sum up a life. It will recharge your batteries. Therefore she vigilantly protected a scheduled tennis match just as she would a business appointment. Professional speaker and executive coach Barbara Pagano practices a kind of quick charge, by scheduling a day every few months with no agenda. Your physical and mental energy depend upon nourishment. A business project may demand peaks of intense work, followed by valleys of slow time. For that one day, nothing happens, except what she decides from hour to hour.6. The "what for?" question should also be asked about the life you live.Many of us have an image of personal balance as a set of scales in perfect balance every day. Adds singer and composer Billy Joel, "There are times when you need to let the field lie fallow. Just because there's something there doesn't mean you have to do it. It's a good idea. If there is a dispute over how you should use your time, either convince the people who can reward or punish you that your idea about using time is appropriate, or look for another job. Do something out of the ordinary to avoid the well-worn grooves of your life. Just the right things. Publisher Steve Forbes taught me a lesson: "Don't be a slave to your in-box. By focusing on four main areas of your life - emotional/spiritual needs, relationships, intellectual needs and physical needs - at work and away from work, you can begin to walk the high wire safely.

The way you use solitary time should match your values, beliefs and temperament. Koplovitz ran the daily operations of the network for 21 years. This is to have succeeded. They also are more likely to be a good sounding board for your ideas. Over and over again, highly successful people mention the benefit of exercise routines. They create boundaries around certain activities and protect them. As important as it is, how to save time for balancing your life is not the ultimate question. She keeps a paper and pen with her to jot down ideas that come to her.Care for your body. She calls it her mobile meditation. In the afternoon, I might be watching my kids play at the pool or be out with my wife. Don't skip meals. But that's an unrealistic goal." As a result, every evening, I extract from my long list to-do list just a few "musts" for the following day. Joe Posner has achieved wealth and recognition selling life insurance.So what makes for a successful balance life? I can think of no better definition than the one given by Ralph Waldo Emerson:To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because I have lived. While other coaches were putting their teams through brutal twice-a-day practices, Dodd's team did their drills and practices, but then took time to relax, play touch football and enjoy the bowl sites. Once you've put yourself on your calendar, guard those appointments