How to Create Balance in Life Using Your Values

If you’ve read my post Why Core Values are Key to Living in Balance, you may be wondering how to create balance in life by putting your values into action. In this post, I’ll share practical steps to help you use your values to shape your priorities, schedule, and everyday decisions so that life feels more in tune with what matters most.

Creating Balance in Life: What You Need Before You Start

Clear Understanding of Your Core Values

Knowing your personal core values is essential to this process but it can be tricky to decide on them. Ideally you’ll have 3-5 values that feel essential to who you are. If you’re not clear on what your values are, reading this guide will help: How to Identify Your Personal Core Values

Realistic Assessment of Your Current Life

When you’re trying to create balance in life, you need to take into account where you are right now. Understanding your individual constraints and circumstances helps to create a realistic plan. Things to consider are your current stage of life, responsibilities, and capacity for change.

Step 1: Map Your Current Life Against Your Values

Do a Values Audit

If you look at where you spend your time and energy over a typical week, which values are getting attention? And which values are being neglected? You might discover that there are gaps between what matters to you and how you actually live. When you’re disconnected from your values, this is when life can start to feel meaningless.

Identify the Biggest Misalignments

If you can spot any areas where a lot your time is going towards things that don’t support balance in life, these are your biggest opportunities. Common examples are spending time scrolling on social media when you value connection, or saying yes to things that don’t align with any of your values.

Notice What’s Already Working

Celebrate times when our choices naturally create balance in life through values alignment. This reminds you that values-based balance is possible and you can build on this.

Step 2: Set Your Values Based Priorities

Choose Your Focus Values for This Season

When you know what your values are it can be tempting to try and honour all of them at once. But you don’t need to give every value equal attention all the time. It’s completely ok (and much easier) to focus on just two or 3 values that feel important to you right now. That way, you can create space for what matters and feel like you’re actually making progress instead of falling behind. If you’re struggling to narrow down your priority values, my post 10 Real Life Core Values Examples might give you some clarity.

Define What “Enough” Looks Like For Each Value

Once you’ve chosen which values you want to focus on, it helps to get clear on what “enough’ looks like for each one so you have a target to work towards. This means thinking about the smallest amount of time, energy or attention that would honour that value in a realistic way, helping you create more balance in life.

For example, if connection is important to you, having one meaningful conversation a week might be enough to keep that part of your life feeling steady. Or if you value creativity, it might be spending 30 minutes painting a few times a week.

Identify Your Non-Negotiables

Non-negotiables are the things you don’t want to lose sight of, no matter how busy life gets. They help protect your time and energy, which is essential when you’re trying to create balance in life.

When you’re clear on what your non-negotiables are, it gives you a filter for making decisions and setting boundaries. When you’re pulled in different directions these are the things that help you stay connected to what matters.

You may be wondering how to know what your non-negotiables are. A helpful way to find them is to ask yourself “what would I regret not having in my life?”. The answers to that question often point to the things that matter most.

Step 3: Create Your Values-Based Schedule

Start with Your Non-Negotiables

When you’re trying to create balance in life, start by blocking time for the values that matter most to you, so your priorities get the attention they deserve instead of being squeezed in around less important things. This means putting them into your schedule before everything else has a chance to take over.

What this looks like will be different for everyone. It might be planning family dinners twice a week, set aside Sunday mornings for creative time, or locking in regular movement like a walk or exercise class three times a week. The key is to make space for these things first, not last.

Look for Values Integration Opportunities

Another helpful way to create balance in life is to look for activities that let you honour more than one value at the same time. This can increase your sense of alignment without needing to find extra hours in the day.

For example, cooking a meal with family could reflect both connection and creativity or volunteering with a loved one might bring together values like service and family. When you spot those overlaps, it becomes easier to live in line with what matters, even on a busy schedule.

Schedule Regular Values Check-ins

A small but powerful habit when you want to create balance in life is setting aside around 10 minutes each week to reflect on how well your life is lining up with your values. These quick check-ins help you catch things early, so you can make changes before things start to feel off track.

For a more comprehensive approach to checking your life balance, use this simple self check-in system How to Balance Your Life with a Simple Self Check-In

Step 4: Make Values-Based Decisions

Use Your Values as Decision Filters

When you’re faced with a decision, it can be hard to know what the right choice is, and you might feel confused if there are pros and cons to each option. A helpful way to find clarity is to ask yourself which option lines up better with your priority values. This brings your attention back to what matters most, rather than what you logically think is the right choice.

For example you might choose a job that offers more growth and learning over one that simply pays more, because it feels more aligned with where you want to go. Using your values as filters removes some of the guesswork and helps ease the mental load that can come with too many choices.

Practice Values-Based Boundary Setting

Setting boundaries becomes much easier when you’re clear on your values. It means you can say no to commitments that don’t line up with what matters most to you, helping you create balance in life.

For example, you might respond with something like “that’s not something I can take on right now”. It’s a simple way to protect your time and energy without needing to justify your decision. When you set boundaries based on your values, you’re making space for what really matters to you.

Plan for Values Conflicts

Sometimes two values that are both important to you can seem to pull you in different directions, which can make creating balance in life feel tricky. For example, you might want to be available for your family but also feel drawn to take on a new role at work that requires longer hours. When this happens, look for ways to give some space to both values, even if it’s not an equal amounts.

For instance, you might agree to take on the new role but set aside certain evenings or weekends as family time that you don’t compromise. And if that’s not realistic, remind yourself that at different times, certain values might need more attention than others. That doesn’t mean you’re letting go of what matters, it just means you’re being thoughtful about where your energy goes right now.

If you’d like some guidance on how to handle the challenges you might face when living by your values you’ll find it in What to Do When Values Conflict With Real Life.

Final Thoughts on How to Create Balance in Life

Creating balance in life using your values comes down to making thoughtful choices that reflect what really matters to you. Try to let go of the idea that balance means doing everything just right. Life changes, and what feels balanced will shift along the way.

What matters is staying connected to your values and making space for them, even in small ways. When your time and energy starts to reflect what matters most, balance stops feeling like something you have to chase and becomes something you live.

For more ideas on bringing balance into your daily routine, see my post How to Live a Balanced Life.