Getting the Balance Right?

How do you know when your work/self balance is OK or when it's out of whack? I recently discovered that the state of my work/self balance is reflected in the state of my toenails -- more specifically, whether they're painted or not. And more specific than that, whether the nail polish is relatively fresh (anything under a month old is good for me), contains less chips than I have toes, and is in a colour that has been seen in some salon or pharmacy, somewhere, in the last decade.

And so yesterday, when I found the time to paint my toenails -- and no, one coat does not count -- AND to let them dry before I shoved my feet into some high heels and clicked off to an appointment, I realized all's well, at least for the moment, in the work/self balance of Tanya's universe.

Yup, if I can find 10 minutes to do something for myself, that makes me feel a wee bit prettier than I did 10 minutes ago and that makes me feel like someone is taking care of me, I'm feeling pretty good, all things considered. (Of course, the fact that I only need 10 minutes of attention to feel like I'm being cared for is the subject of another blog...and long discussions with my therapist :)

What about you? How do you know when you've got the balance right?