Keeping your personal and professional lives balanced can be tricky when you are in sales or running your own business. While every person has a different definition of what living a balanced life means, every definition includes some variation of having enough time for family, community, and, of course, work.

It has been said many times that if your life is in balance, your checkbook will not be. The people who feel this way are often the ones who sit at their desk at the end of the day looking at their unfinished work. Instead of closing the laptop and heading home, they pick up the phone to call their spouse, letting them know they will not be home for dinner again this evening. While this extra work has merit, their personal life is obviously out of balance.

On the other side of the coin, there are those who try to balance their lives by leaving unfinished work on their desk, closing their laptop and heading home for the day. They shirk their work responsibilities to make sure they are going home to spend quality time with the family. While this attitude also has merit, the lost work leaves their professional life out of balance.

Both of these attitudes are damaging to other important aspects of your life, and neither one needs to happen. The truth is that you have much more time during the day than you realize. The reason why your life feels unbalanced is because you aren't spending your time wisely.

The secret to balancing your life isn't about the amount of time you spend at home or work; it's about how you spend that time. Improving the quality of your time, no matter where you are, is the key to balancing your personal and professional life.

So wherever you are, be there completely.

This means that if you are at work, even if you'd rather be home with your kids, you need to accept the fact that you are at work. Use that emotional energy created from your desire to be home with the kids as your driving force to get as much work done as you possibly can during the day.

Stop wasting time surfing the internet, talking in front of the proverbial water cooler, or worrying about whether or not you are going to be home in time for dinner. You are at work; so you might as well work hard.

Start each work day with a challenge to see how much you can possibly get done. Then, when five o'clock rolls around, you will be satisfied that you have accomplished so much during those eight hours. You will feel satisfied heading home after a hard day's work.

When you are home, be at home. Don't pollute your personal time with worries about what needs to be done at work. Leave your work behind you and be there with your family. Turn off the television and get out a board game. Gather around the kitchen table to hear about how the rest of the family spent the day. Spend the time helping your kids with their homework and hearing about the new crush they have at school.

Improving the quality of your time will lead to quality results in your professional and personal life. Pouring your heart and soul into a project at work will dramatically boost your business; and soaking in those precious moments with your family will nourish an indescribable love and appreciation.

Balancing your lives will give you a new sense of energy, creativity and productivity that you never thought possible. You may find that the children's book you're reading gives you an idea for an additional use for your product, or that the energy of a productive workday carries over to playtime with your kids.

A balanced life means a better life - no matter where you're at.