Eight Suggestions for Balancing Life’s Demands

By President M. Russell Ballard

Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

From an April 1987 general conference address.

I have a few suggestions that I hope will be valuable to those of you concerned with balancing life’s demands.

First, think about your life and set your priorities. Find some quiet time regularly to think deeply about where you are going and what you will need to do to get there. Jesus, our exemplar, often “withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed” (Luke 5:16). We need to do the same thing occasionally to rejuvenate ourselves spiritually as the Savior did. Write down the tasks you would like to accomplish each day. Keep foremost in mind the sacred covenants you have made with the Lord as you write down your daily schedules.
Second, set short-term goals that you can reach. Set goals that are well balanced—not too many nor too few, and not too high nor too low. Write down your attainable goals and work on them according to their importance. Pray for divine guidance in your goal setting.
Third, through wise budgeting, control your real needs and measure them carefully against your many wants in life. Far too many individuals and families have incurred too much debt. Be careful of the many attractive offers to borrow money. It is much easier to borrow money than it is to pay it back. There are no shortcuts to financial security. We never will have balance in our lives unless our finances are securely under control.

Remember to always pay a full tithing.
Fourth, stay close to your spouse, children, relatives, and friends. They will help you keep a balance in your life. Build relationships with your family and friends through open and honest communication.

A good marriage and good family relationships can be maintained through gentle, loving, thoughtful communication. Remember that often a glance, a wink, a nod, or a touch will say more than words. A sense of humor and good listening are also vital parts of good communication.
Fifth, study the scriptures. They offer one of the best sources we have to keep in touch with the Spirit of the Lord. One of the ways I have gained my sure knowledge that Jesus is the Christ is through my study of the scriptures. President Russell M. Nelson has asked members of the Church to prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day.
Sixth, we must schedule time on our daily calendars for sufficient rest, exercise, and relaxation if we are to enjoy a healthy and balanced life. Good physical appearance enhances our dignity and self-respect.
Seventh, hold weekly family home evening. We must not lose this special opportunity to “teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:77), which will lead families to eternal life. Satan is always working to destroy our testimonies, but he will not have the power to tempt or disturb us beyond our strength to resist when we are studying the gospel and living its commandments.
My last suggestion is to pray often. You can know the right decisions to make each day through constant, sincere prayer. When I am in tune spiritually, I find that I can balance everything in my life much more easily.

I realize that other suggestions could be added to these. However, I believe that when we focus on a few basic objectives, we are more likely to be able to manage the many demands that life makes on us. Remember, too much of anything in life can throw us off-balance. At the same time, too little of the important things can do the same thing. King Benjamin counseled “that all these things are done in wisdom and order” (Mosiah 4:27).

Often the lack of clear direction and goals can waste away our time and energy and contribute to imbalance in our lives. Our main goal should be to seek “immortality and eternal life” (Moses 1:39). With this as our goal, why not eliminate from our lives the things that clamor for and consume our thoughts, feelings, and energies without contributing to our reaching that goal?

Just do the very best you can each day. Do the basic things and, before you realize it, your life will be full of spiritual understanding that will confirm to you that your Heavenly Father loves you. When a person knows this, then life will be full of purpose and meaning, making balance easier to maintain.