Welcome to the second installment of "Advice To My Younger Self." Readers at Huff/Post50 have a lot of life lessons under their belts, and we wanted to give your wisdom a wider platform. So we're asking you to tell us the advice you'd give your younger self on topics ranging from health to parenting, education to relationships, career to money.
This week, the topic is work-life balance. It's something I have always struggled with, since I love my work, and I tend to allow it to crowd out other priorities. I would tell my younger self to work smarter instead of longer: Trying to do every task perfectly is an unnecessary time suck that throws off your life balance. Instead, start the day with a list of priorities that are intimately related to the larger goals of your work, and then give yourself a 6 p.m. deadline to complete them. In the meantime, commit to the larger values in your life -- relationships, exercise, spirituality, fun -- in a concrete way by putting those activities on your calendar. (And accept the reality that there will be passages in life when have to lower your expectations and let some things go to keep your sanity. Don't worry -- you will get to pick them up later.)
Here's what our readers -- including actress Melanie Griffith -- would advise their younger selves about work-life balance.