One of my favorite things to watch in the Olympics is the balance beam routines of gymnastics. The flips, the jumps, the handstands. All on a piece of wood that is four inches wide. Amazing, especially when you consider that many people would have enough trouble WALKING on something that narrow, much less running, jumping, rolling…well, you get the picture.

When a gymnast first starts out, they don’t immediately start with the complex moves we see on television. They simply start walking, practicing their balance, taking note of how their body needs to be positioned. Depending on the age, a gymnast may simply start walking a line drawn on the floor. A gymnast needs to feel comfortable on that piece of wood, like walking on it is like walking anywhere.

We could learn a lot about balance from gymnasts. And not simply in the physical sense. Oftentimes in life, we try to jump into the front flips without even stretching. We Moms are especially prone to this. With all the pressures of life telling us we have to do this, do that, be perfect, if we are not careful, we will find ourselves quickly on overload.

Already on overload?

First, let me remind you that nothing should come before your family. If a job or home business is taking more time away from your family than you are comfortable with, make a change. Layout a plan to enable you to be home with your kids, cut corners and/or start that home business you’ve had on your mind. Already have a home business? Cut back on the time you are spending by looking for ways to limit your time doing the tedious things. Only answer your email at set times. Outsource the things you can by hiring a virtual assistant or enlisting your kids to work with you.

Start your day with a list. These can be on paper or on the computer for the eco-conscious. Type five things you need to accomplish in your business by the day’s end. Be realistic, do not include “make X amount of dollars” on your list. Instead, include concrete things like listing five items on eBay, create a Craigslist ad or write one article. The important thing is to stay pro-active.

Be sure to map out your family’s needs, too. Make a separate list for the things that you NEED to get done for the day. And, no, “clean house top to bottom” should not make an appearance on your list. Keep it simple. Wash the towels, sweep the tile floors or wash the windows and mirrors - these are reasonable goals.

*Side note: this is not to say that your house will never need cleaning top to bottom. On these days, you need to be able to focus solely on that. Make time in your schedule that includes NOTHING to do with your work or business. Trust me, sometimes stepping away is all you need to do to make things feel less overwhelming. End side note.*

Perhaps that is the greatest advice I can offer. Keep it simple. Stretch a little. Start with one eBay listing or creating a list of possible article topics. Include things that you can build on tomorrow or next week. If you wrote your one article with ease, challenge yourself to flesh out two tomorrow.

Remember, perfection is not the goal. It is guaranteed you will make mistakes, learn from them and move on. If something works, do it again. If it doesn’t, don’t. You’re never going to win a gold medal, but that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve one.