Are you giving the best of yourself to the people who care about you the least at the expense of the people who care about you the most?

It’s an easy trap to fall into, isn’t it? This week I want to talk with you about balance. It’s #4 on the list of 70 things I believe every man needs to understand. (Did you miss #1, 2, or 3? Catch up here: abiding in Christ, accountability, and anger.)

Personally, I like it best when I am “busy and balanced.” I love to work and explore new opportunities. It’s fun! But being too busy can quickly lead to neglecting the people who matter most. Can you relate?

Here are five guiding principles that can help you can lead a more balanced life:

1. No amount of success at work will ever be adequate to compensate for failure at home. ACTION: Let this question be your tiebreaker: Who’s going to be crying at your funeral?
2. If you’re married: After God but before all others, make your wife your top priority. ACTION: Spend time together alone, be physically affectionate, listen to her, encourage her with words, take care of her financially, laugh together, and be her best friend.
3. There’s no pain like child pain. If your children do well, then all of your other problems will fit into a thimble. ACTION: Invest in your children with time, prayer, and encouraging words like, “I love you,” and “I’m proud of you.”
4. Most men compartmentalize their family but not their work, meaning they tend to think about their work when they’re with their families but not their families while they’re at work. You should not only put a time boundary around your work—such as “I will not work after 6 p.m.”—but also a mental boundary. One man promised to take his wife out to dinner every time he broke the rule. ACTION: Write your work appointments in pencil but your family appointments in ink.
5. Jesus will help you lead a balanced life if you’re in constant communication with Him. This can be as simple as saying a silent prayer for five seconds as you pick up your phone to make a call. ACTION: Pray about everything. Let Jesus be your highest and best thought in every situation.