It’s 9 p.m.on a Friday night. I’m preparing for the 11 p.m. newscast. I’m up against the deadline for this CityScene article, and I’m worrying about the script for tomorrow morning’s fundraising event. Not to mention, I’m wondering what time my husband’s flight arrives so I can be there to welcome him home.

Sound familiar? While the minutiae of my multi-tasking may be different from yours, I’ll bet you’re stretched just as thin.

It’s a tough task, finding balance. I’m still searching. It’s not that I don’t know what’s most important in life: family, health and friends. It’s carving out the appropriate amount of time to devote to each one that can be challenging.

Sadly it seems, at least for me, the top three are the ones that suffer in the name of career, outside commitments and all the other stuff. I don’t know about you, but I am not good at saying “no.”

Believe it or not, there are ways to get help and direction in finding the right balance. Enter Chasity Kuttrus, partner and career coach at Ray & Barney Group. That’s her technical title, but I call her “one of the most organized, got-it-together people I know.”

“In my experience of working with lots of professionals in the business world, the ones that seem to conquer this work/life balance topic focus on their health and their relationships first,” she says. “(They are) making sure they are grounded by practicing good exercise habits, sleeping consistently and surrounding themselves with healthy relationships.”

Sure, that’s easier said than done, especially when the amount of time we have to devote to relationships is a small piece of the pie. Kuttrus says being picky isn’t all bad.

“I recently heard of someone who graded all of his relationships and friendships. If they didn’t make the grade, if he wasn’t getting anything out of it, or was getting a negative return, he quit investing his time,” she says. “Sound crazy? I don’t think so.”

When it comes to time, this busy executive, wife and mother says to block it out – literally. Look at your calendar and schedule time for the important things. This will allow you to say “no” more easily to other things.

Also, consider changing your hours at work if possible. Working part time, flex time or a reduced schedule could be just what you need. If that’s not an option, find someone in a similar situation who seems to be managing it all well and ask how they do it.

Finally, pack some patience. Your life didn’t spin out of control overnight, and it won’t suddenly be simplified. But Kuttrus say perseverance pays off, especially if you make yourself the priority.

“There is this perception that one day you sign up for work/life balance and magically a sophisticated system falls into place making your life easy to manage the next day,” Kuttrus says. “Not true! Work/life balance is a week by week, day by day, hour by hour system. Those who are the best at it accept that you have to focus on it all the time, not just some of the time.”

Focus, it is.

Watch Andrea Cambern on 10TV News HD weekdays at 5, 6 and 11 p.m. and at 10 p.m. on WWHO-TV.