3. If you're a wife and/or a mother, make a list of the expectations that you have of yourself in those roles. Whose expectations are they? Are they your mother's, your grandmother's or society's? If so, commit to starting your own traditions.
4. Give yourself permission to avoid some of the chores you do regularly, says Sukornyk. Maybe you can skip washing the floors every week or baking cookies from scratch for your kids' lunches. "What's the worst thing that will happen?" she asks.
5. Practise delegating chores at home and work. Don't hand over an entire project but do give away pieces of it. For example, ask one of your kids to sweep the floor while you follow with a dustpan. The chore may not be done perfectly or done the way you would do it -- but that's OK.
6. Ask your partner to step up to the plate. But make it a request, not a complaint. Say something like "When I get home after work, it would make me feel like a pampered princess if the dishwasher was emptied" rather than "You never empty the dishwasher."
7. Take a lunch break every day. Study after study shows that people who don't are less productive. Read. Go to the gym. Eat a healthy lunch. Meet a friend for a walk. Do whatever you like and come back refreshed.
Words to live by
"I've given up certain things to make my life balance better. My house is not as clean as it used to be, and I rarely have time for TV. But I always have time for exercise and for hugs and kisses from my children." -- Sharon Sawyer, via the Internet
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