We all make excuses in our busy life about why we cannot get things done. Just thinking about adding work to our already frantic schedules generates the auto response, “I’m too busy.”
I was listening to a sermon at my church recently and the topic was about giving of yourself to the community and helping out where we can. The moral being, when all of us chip in a little bit a bigger job gets done, that kind of thing.
As I was listening, I could hear my own self saying, “I really should do that but I just don’t have the time”. This is ridiculous because of course I do have the time. I have the time to read a book, watch tv, go shopping, so of course I have the time!
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Carving out time in your day is essential to getting everything done.
I have another blog post about scheduling your tasks and I think that such a viable way of staying accountable. It is very important in being the complete person you’re trying to be while also alleviating stress.
Try Living Your Life In A Proactive Space
There are a lot of people who will say, “I don’t need a planner. I just do things as they come to me and I get everything done.” That is really a reactive way of living your life.
If you are constantly reacting to things and completing tasks as you are assigned, you will never achieve anything of your own.
Living in a reactionary state also precludes the option of doing things for yourself and your social circles. We all need the chance to live our dreams and achieve things that are not related to our jobs. This is directly related to goal-setting.
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Make time for things you want to do, as well as things you need to do
When I was a young girl, I remember watching an interview of a child actor who was not much older than I was. They were widely successful at a young age. As I watched the interview, one comment caught my attention and stuck with me.
They were being asked about how they got to be so successful. Their answer was a very quick, “I’m scheduled to the minute!”
The person interviewing them asked if it was hard to be so structured.
They cheerfully added that their schedule included ‘play time’ as well as work. What a concept! It was this type of agenda that allowed them to get everything done and maintain a positive outlook. This kid couldn’t have been more than fourteen or fifteen at the time!
Scheduling Should Never Be A Chore
If you don’t schedule your relaxation time, you can easily fall into a rut of just working non-stop. Whether that work is business related or simply the day-to-day life that you lead, you are working without reprieve.
If you are working at this pace, it is hardly a wonder you may feel that you don’t have any spare time when asked to do just one more little thing! When that happens, you may find that you just collapse in a heap on the sofa with remote control in your hand at the end of the day.
This behavior can also lead to overeating and excessive drinking as a means of “rewarding” yourself for the exhaustion you feel. To add to that, you could be sitting on the sofa for hours at a time, which is a terrible way to end the day.
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Be Realistic About Your Lifestyle
This all stems back to when I first became a parent. A good friend of mine gifted me a book entitled Children Learn What They Live. I soon learned there was an entire business platform based off of this book by Dorothy Law Nolte. Every word of that book rang true to me.
There’s actually no reason that children should be scheduled to only have a certain amount of screen time per day, when adults don’t follow the same rules for themselves.
It is also true that if you are working non-stop without time “play time”, your children would learn that process as well. That leads young, impressionable minds to learn the heavy weight of stress at a tender age.
Can you imagine having a child under the age of five working the pace that you currently work? We all need to schedule for success and happiness.
Now, I can’t say I’m perfect with this, but I do tend to schedule time to relax and in that, how many hours I will be watching TV or sitting quietly to read. Doesn’t that sound nice to have a planned time to just relax? Schedule it!
Create Your Own Mantra
Some of the best advice I’ve been given is to not reiterate negative thoughts in my day-to-day life. That said, it is important to make a conscious habit of not allowing myself to say things like, “I’m too busy.”
I said it in church that day and caught myself straightaway!
If you can, try to put your own stigma on those words to catch yourself when you say them. The marketing side of my brain knows that we talk ourselves in and out of everything we are faced with in life. What’s the old saying? “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.”
Yeah, that.
Sometimes, it is really true though and you need to acknowledge that.
If you actually take the time to plan your day and to schedule your tasks, and you find that you truly do not have enough hours in the day, perhaps it is time to start delegating or ask for help with responsibilities.
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Have you considered hiring an assistant?
There are loads of high school students who can drive. After school, they can run your errands, and they would be happy to do that for the rate of (fill in your price here). Many students who are going through high school but taking on a full time job is too much to add to their load. They still need the money and a good reference. Consider hiring a responsible student from the local high school to be an assistant.
Maybe schedule a babysitter regularly through the week for a few days and work out a weekly rate, so you can break away and get your tasks done. Even if you are still inside your own home, you can use that “quiet” time to get your work done. Think creatively!
Realize how much you are taking on and when you need to let go for some self-preservation.
Whittling down on wasted time really helps to create a proactive lifestyle where you can achieve your goals and help others when called.
Having time scheduled at the end of the day to relax really helps me to get through my agenda. Knowing that I have an appointment with myself to read, unwind, or meet with friends really does help keep me focused and productive.
How does that sound? Would you like to schedule time for yourself that is as meaningful as another meeting with co-workers on Zoom? I know which one I want to make my priority.
