Facebook's Sheryl Sandberg puts work life balance in perspective. The former executive at Google and current Facebook COO has a much different philosophy concerning her career and family. Sheryl Sandberg has publicly thrown a wrench in our thinking by declaring that she leaves work everyday at 5:30 pm to be home in time for dinner with her children. You read correctly - 5:30! How many of us have worked under the belief that we have to sacrifice our children and families to have a great career? We have accepted that there is a trade off, one that we don't particularly like. But Sheryl Sandberg recently admitted in a video for Makers.com that she is a firm believer of creating good work life balance:

Consistency is key for work life balance. You need to find your groove and stick to what works. It is not healthy or satisfying to have big highs one week and lows the next! Your work life balance is thrown off when you are spread to thin or giving too much to only one project, one friend, one situation. Think about how being inconsistent makes you feel? Being inconsistent with your work can cause others to lose faith in your abilities and being inconsistent with your family or hobbies can lead to emotional unrest. Our work life balance may not be perfect every single day but it is important to put in the effort. Life is going to throw you curve balls and yes, there will be times when work life balance is off kilter but if you show consistency the majority of the time, these rare occasions will go much more smoothly. How do you find work life balance? Tweet me @lorenridinger with your tips

Do you know how to say no? We as women are so accustomed to multi-tasking, that we continuously overload our plates without a single consideration of ourselves. It is in our nature to nurture our loved ones. We love to feel needed and want to help where we can. But we must remember that we are human beings with needs of our own. It's okay to learn how to say no. Lets face it, we can not be in ten different places at one time. We become weary and burnt out when we spread ourselves too thin. We are no good to anyone if we don't take care of ourselves. There is nothing wrong with the word no being in your vocabulary. No is not a negative word. In fact, no should be an affirming word to you. When you say no, you are saying to yourself that you are just as important as the people around you. I understand that saying no can be difficult. Here are a few phrases to help learn how to say no:

My take on a lesson a life and balance. Maybe you've been climbing the corporate ladder, raising a family, starting your own business (or a combination of all three) and have become one-track minded, only to miss out on the little things in life. Weeks, months, even years can pass and we realize it's been too long since we've truly relaxed, since we've truly appreciated the experiences we have and the people we meet on our journey along the way. I'm here to tell you to take a breather, take a minute for yourself - a productive, alert person will always be more valuable than an exhausted, burnt-out one. Success is not your net worth it's how well you balance work and family, how well you can nourish your soul and at the same time go after your goals. 

It is part of American culture to be constantly moving forward. From the second we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep (well, I don't sleep much!) we as a society simply rush towards the finish line, trying to accomplish as much as we possibly can in a 24 hour day. While work is important and the desire to be successful is a fantastic goal to have, learning to balance family with career is another goal that should top your list. Balancing career and family can be tricky; do not be hard on yourself while in the process of finding what works best for your lifestyle. Practice patience, forgiveness and trial and error during this process. Do what you can until you can do it all. Here are five suggestions on ways to balance work and family: