Work-life balance hacks: Six tips from a type-A control freakBy: L iz Pearce, CEO at L iquidPlanner

1. Invest in your relationships the same way you do in your 401k.

• Make small, regularly scheduled investments. – My husband and I have a babysitter that shows up

every other Thursday night.  That means we have to actively *cancel* our dates instead of actively *schedule* them.

• Never leave one social event/visit/appointment without scheduling the next.

2. Pay for services, not for stuff.

•  As a rule, try to spend resources on things that free up time instead of take up space.– I was at a business lunch recently with a woman who

remarked: “Wow, I had that same bag about four years ago!” Yup, that’s right. I don’t have much of a handbag budget, but I do have a budget for someone to help with the yard.

3. Treat your home like you do your inbox: get rid of everything you don’t truly value.

• Get rid of at least 15 things every single day. – They might be pieces of junk mail or leftovers that are

past their prime, but small, frequent acts of de-cluttering can make a big difference in your stress level.

4. When it comes to parenting, comparison is the root of all unhappiness.

• The deluge of advice, product recommendations, and Pinterest boards adds to anxiety, it doesn’t alleviate it. – My answer is to shut them out almost entirely, and to

focus my energy on what’s going on within our own four walls.  We pick puzzles over piano lessons, drawing pictures over Disneyland and bowls of popcorn in front of the TV over kiddie 5ks. For now, downtime at home and some undivided attention seem to be the key ingredients in their happiness.

5. Conquer meal planning and you can conquer the world.

• Here’s the hack: make a one-page categorized list of all of your family staples, organized by section in the grocery store, and leave room to write in the random stuff. (Here, go ahead and use mine.) – Print out a copy for each week. Start by highlighting

the things you’re running out of. On the weekend, plan your weekly meals and add any additional items to the list. Go to the store one time (or order online!) and shop from your fridge and pantry the rest of the week.

6. Allow yourself at least one vice.

• Chocolate, reality TV, bad science fiction, use your imagination. Allow yourself at least one indulgence for whenever the stress gets to you. – In my case that’s most nights, when you’ll find me on

the couch with a glass of wine, watching reruns of The West Wing. I usually head back to work for a couple more hours after it’s over, but by that point I’ve recovered sufficiently to take another whack at my to-do list.

Work- l i fe ba lance hacks: S ix t ips f rom a type-A control f reak