Contributed by Sylvia Warren of SimplytheBestCoaching.com

Busy beyond belief before you have had a chance to give your New Year’s resolutions a second look? Perhaps the title to that Paul Simon song – Still Crazy After All These Years – describes your January 2009.

If you are ready for better balance, yet not sure how to get it, you are not alone. A national survey of 500 full-time professionals, conducted in late November 2008, tells us that even amidst layoffs 47% of the respondents desire more life balance in 2009. In addition, 86 percent of survey respondents plan to pursue better balance in 2009.

Gaining better balance takes daily practice. T. Harv Eker of Peak Potentials Training says it best: “Practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent.” Wildly successful entrepreneurs, executives and professionals learn to leverage how they are creatures of habit. Their simple daily practices lead them to better balance habits.

With all the uncertainty and challenges of these times, a daily practice of life balance requires greater clarity, focus, and inspired action. Clarity frees you to define which life and work priorities are most important to you now. Knowing this includes understanding the hidden payoffs you received in the past from not having enough balance in your work and the rest of your life. Focus keeps your priorities in clear view so you stay on target. Attention to simple balance practices enables you to be flexible enough to avoid the burden of guilt or self-criticism. Action builds your sense of momentum.

Daily playful practices give you more and more experiences of the life balance you seek.

Better balance also helps you gain remarkable results at work with more ease. Life balance clarifies your focus so you know what actions empower you to create your compelling future in 2009. Your focus is pivotal because it takes you from clarity to action.

So why not practice 3 sure fire ways to harness and direct your focus power with better balance?

1. Focus, focus, focus…on no more than 3 critical priorities at a time.
In his book Brain Rules, scientist John Medina tells us years of research has proven that multi-tasking is a myth. The human brain functions most efficiently when it focuses on one top priority and has no more than two additional priorities waiting for its attention. You leverage our brain power by focusing on priorities in hierarchies of threes.

2. Spend 80% of your time on high-payoff activities.
To do this, schedule time on your calendar when you are not available for in-person, phone or email interruptions. Use this time to focus on and take strategic action that yields a high return on your desired results. This means…Identify who and what you need to get the job done. Determine how best to access the resources required. Set reasonable time frames to complete the work right. If necessary, develop a feasible game plan. Review and update it daily or weekly.

3. Leverage your lessons learned.

Track your progress. Pay attention to what works well and what doesn’t work. Focus on what could work better. Make adjustments that keep or get things back on track.

Then pause to appreciate and celebrate small wins. See how each win moves you closer to your success. Determine and take the next best steps. The success you seek is seeking you.