One Reader Juggles Work and Life With the "Four Ps"

Reader Anne Witkavitch writes in a comment to a previous posting about the valuable commodity that is time:

As one who is juggling family, career, and graduate school pursuing my dream to write and publish, I hear the same comment over and over again: “I don't know how you do it.”

I cringe each time I hear this phrase. Although it's meant as a compliment, what bothers me most is the implication that this special talent comes naturally, easily, and with no sacrifice or price to pay.

Time management and work/life balance is all about what's important to us and how that ties into the choices we make. It's about the 4 Ps--purpose, passion, priorities, plan. Understanding our purpose--or why we do what we do--correlates to our passions, the things we are just plain crazy about. From there, we can better prioritize all of the things that bombard us in our lives--papers due, project deadlines, meetings, school plays. And once priorities are clear, we can structure a plan to stay focused to ensure that we meet our goals.

Having the 4 Ps down pat helps take the stress out of work/life balance because we're not trying to do everything--just the things that matter most.