Your 168. Harry M. Kraemer, Jr.

      Self-reflection isn't about perfection. You won't be perfectly balanced every day or even most days. We have busy lives and many things vie for our time and attention. Priorities change and challenges arise.

      There is no formula or perfect answer to achieving life balance. It's a constant process of recalibration. Week to week as you look at your 168 hours, you'll see where you are in balance and out of balance. You'll make choices going forward to rebalance—more time with family, doing better with daily exercise, spending time with friends you haven't seen in a while. But our lives are too busy and complex to expect that we'll always be in balance. There will always be things that force us out of balance again.

      Self-reflection, I've found, is the best foundation for creating and sustaining life balance. This is not the pursuit of perfection, but of greater self-awareness. When we know where and how we're spending our time, when things are going well or when we feel we're going off the rails, we can find a way forward.

      NEXT STEPS TO BETTER BALANCE

      In the pursuit of life balance, we're all works in progress. At the end of each chapter, starting here, I'll share some advice and exercises that can help you become more self-aware as you take active steps toward achieving better balance in support of your 168.

      First-Time and Annual Self-Reflection Questions

As you engage in self-refection for the first time, ask yourself these questions to begin the process of regular self-examination. In addition, I use these same questions on my annual retreat:

       What are my values?

       What do I stand for?

       What is my purpose?

       What really matters?

       How would I react if I was told I only had three days to live?

       What kind of person do I want to be?

       What kind of example do I want to be for others?

      Daily Self-Examination Questions

      As you engage in regular self-reflection, ask yourself questions that help you evaluate your day and think about how you spend your time. Here are the questions I use every day:

       What did I say I was going to do today, in all dimensions of my life?

       What did I actually do today?

       What am I proud of?

       What am I not proud of?

       What example did I set for others?

       What example did others set for me?

       If I could live today over again, what would I do differently?

       If I have tomorrow (and I am acutely aware that one day I won't), based on what I learned today, what will I do tomorrow in all dimensions of my life that are important to me?

NOTE

      1 1. Tasha Eurich, “What Self-Awareness Really Is (and How to Cultivate It),” Harvard Business Review, January 4, 2018.