Too busy to think? 5 things that can help!
27 Oct, 2022
Life can get chaotic, and we can get too busy with the things we need to get done. Between work, and all the people and things that we might be responsible for, it can be awfully hard to rejuvenate during 2 (or less) days in our week.
And, the days we do have without work, merely become time to dig ourselves out of the hole of responsibilities that we are perpetually being pulled into. Groceries, cleaning, meal prep, socializing, helping friends and family. The list can be more overwhelming than your actual work days.
This is our time off from work. And often it is filled with even more work and duties. And It’s not that we don’t want to do a lot of it. It’s just that it doesn’t necessarily rejuvenate our tired selves.
Living perpetually busy can make it hard to remember to enjoy the small moments that make up our lives. Or sometimes it it can throw us off course and we can actually forget how to enjoy the little things.
Here are a few things that may help when time is not plentiful and life feels more like a hurricane that we’re bracing against.
1) Get precise about what needs to be done, and prepare in advance
When things are too busy – meticulous organization can keep us on track. And it can keep things running. Not only does everything have a much stronger likelihood of getting done, but also, we’re significantly lessening the amount of decisions that we need to make every day.
And decision fatigue, is a very real and powerful anomaly. If we’re bombarded with less questions that we need to figure out answers to every day, our energy can be better saved for the questions that we need to answer. So, anything that you can get taken care of in advance, try to do it.
Figure out what you’ll wear the night before, what you’ll eat, your lunch for the next day. All the stuff you can possibly implement and decide in advance, do it. You will so very much thank your studious past self when the coffee is brewing with one push of a button and you outfit is waiting confidently for you to throw on.
And remember, it is not extra work. It’s work taken care of in advance. And figure that stuff out in batches if possible. Give your frazzled weekday self a little piece of mind. Have empathy for future you.
2) Try to have regular ‘you time’ before each day starts
It might not be possible every day. But, it will be significantly more possible if you plan for it, and respect it as part of your day.
So, ask yourself, what you need… “If this day takes control and doesn’t let me go until it’s time for bed, what is it that I need to start the day with?” Perhaps for 5 or 10 minutes while your coffee is brewing, or once you’ve gotten everything ready, you can schedule it in and have that time to breathe yourself into the day.
Maybe you like to think, just to be with your thoughts, or chat with your partner, or maybe a few minutes of meditation helps, or a small walk or a run outside.
Whatever it is, it’s a good thing to give it to yourself before the day takes on its own momentum. So, treat it like a daily meeting and show up for it everyday.
This means more than the few minutes that you hold for yourself, this is you reminding yourself every morning that you are important person in your life. Respecting yourself enough to know what you need and to make sure you get it, (especially when you’re too busy) can keep life in perspective.
3) Schedule, make time for, and respect down time and personal endeavors
A piece of time with nothing work related scheduled is not necessarily just time that just hasn’t got filled up with responsibilities yet.
If you would never skip on getting groceries, going to the dentist, or a work meeting, you most certainly need some integral ‘you time’ as well. The consistent concern for your tartar build up is at least as important as your emotional and mental buildup.
It’s easy to demote your own personal needs down to “maybe next week”. But Is this sustainable? Especially when you are too busy? Likely it is not, and even if it is, is it how you want to live? Is it the person you want to be?
And considering the fact that burnout is something that none of us likely want, it’s time to make time for this. Take time every week or fortnight to reflect and decide what it is you want to do for you.
Maybe you want to take an Ikebana class or an afternoon to play video games and eat ice cream. Maybe you want to go for a walk, and pick apples with your family. Whatever it might be, once you acknowledge it, make sure that your priorities include it.
Put it into the calendar. It is not wasted or indulgent to make the time to do what you want. So make that commitment to get the ‘you time’ that you need and deserve.
4) Make yourself a bedtime and stick to it… it’s more important than you think
When our day starts with a bang and takes control till the bitter end – when we finally get to sit, after it all went down, it is easy to feel like if we stay awake just a little longer than we probably should, that we’re getting a magical extra bit of time added to this dogmatic 24 hour cycle.
So finally when we get that time to enjoy some peace, somehow to use it for sleeping seems like a complete waste of this ‘gift from the heavens’.
So, we stay up later than we know we should and we reap the tortures of our delusions when our morning alarm screams us into consciousness. It doesn’t feel fair, but if we’re working with too little sleep – everything will be harder. And everyone will be more annoying too.
And when we’re too busy, and going non-stop, the only thing that is likely keeping us from crashing or veering off course is our consistency in getting enough sleep. Sleeping is when we physically rejuvenate and when we silently digest, and deal with mental and emotional stresses. It is necessary, it is kind, and it is gloriously delicious.
So give yourself a fighting chance when life is so very intense, and make it a priority to get your version of those ‘8 hours’ as often as humanly possible. There is a reason why sleeping feels so good. Because it is integral to our functionality as human beings. Stop being a kid and go to sleep early 🙂
5) Cut yourself some slack from time to time, and let people know if you need something
When we are going hard constantly, sometimes a little gift from our own kindness and understanding is literally a treasure of replenishment. Yes, there is something powerful and real to be had with impeccable organisation, that can keep a monumentally busy life on it’s rail.
But – we’re human, we’re multifaceted, and we are working so very hard to keep things going. And some days we just need to take the pressure down, and be kind to ourselves.
There is a great difference between letting your life crumble into disarray, and from just giving yourself a chance to take a breath. So, show yourself some humanity and be kind.
Maybe things were extra busy this week. It’s thursday night, and the idea of getting home to make a balanced meal sounds like some kind of fingernail pulling torture. Let it go, if you want to order Thai food this evening so you can relax and enjoy a meal made for you – just do it.
Or perhaps you need to cancel on a get together with a friend. Sometimes when things are too busy, reach out, and just be honest. We are all human, and being genuine about how we are feeling can be the right thing, and, it’s also the best way to connect with someone. Keep a good relationship with yourself and with the people who love you.
Conclusion
Whenever we are busy and (or) overtaxed, it’s easy to forget or to ignore the things that we need. We see these small things as frivioulus or impossible. But the truth is, that they are not, we deserve them, and that life will be so much better, and sustainable if we implement living as best we can for ourselves.
There is no gain to treating ourselves poorly, and the truth is, if we do, what we are giving of ourselves will be of a lesser quality if we are not getting the things that balance us and the things that make us happy.
Ourselves, our work and the ones who depend on us will suffer for it. Try hard to look out for yourself always, and especially when we are living within a busy life. Take a breath, organize your life, and try to do some things that will help make life a bit more fun, a bit more interesting, and a bit more kind. Because you’re amazing, and you deserve it.
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Lyndsay