First of all, I know... we are all "busy." I get that most people, whether they are or not, think their life is so much busier that everyone else's. The reality is that most people have no concept what it is like to be truly busy. When was the last time you legitimately had no time to sit down or sleep or watch some TV? If you have watched TV in the last week but still haven't done the laundry, made dinner at home or spent some actual quality time with your significant other, then you are not truly busy. You are just bad at prioritizing life. That is harsh, and I imagine most people will stop reading now...
The truth is that our time is precious but time is the great equalizer for everyone. No matter how rich or poor, educated or not, young or old, we all experience the same minutes, second and hours. It is just how you use them that makes the difference. In talking to people, I often hear "I just don't know how you do it all." But the reality is that I have the same amount of hours in the day as anyone else and I still manage to get between six and eight hours of sleep almost every night. This probably sounds like bragging, but I have a full-time job, am a full-time (evening) student in my MBA program, participate in Navy Reserves on a monthly basis, have a professional (with 5 degrees) working wife who is 7 months pregnant and a toddler who I personally put to bed 3-4 nights a week. I am pretty sure there are people out there who could "one up" me with their list, but I have quite a lot going on.
What makes all this possible? There is no secret... Prioritizing the things that matter and organizing your life in simple but effective ways. The first question you should ask if you are "too busy" is do I have a calendar and do I use it often? If not then you are already losing at the busy battle. The next thing you need to do is leverage your support network. Don't have one? Then why not? I am extremely fortunate to have family that lives within running distance of our house but the reality is that no matter what your circumstances, you can have a great support network helping you tackle the challenges in your life. There are plenty of ways to make contacts that can help and are willing to help for free. If you are a single parent or dual income couple, then join a group that has like minded people and help each other out. One of my co-workers started her own meet-up group for parents and has made some wonderful friends along the way that she can rely on to help in a crisis. She had so much interest in the group that they have to turn people away to keep it from becoming too burdensome or unmanageable. Finally, take a moment and actually write down all the things that matter to you. Then put a precedence on them to decide which is most important and which you could stop doing. You might be surprised where some of those urgent priorities actually sit. Get rid of the dead weight and stop wasting time. For example, we have been cable free for 5 years and don't miss it one bit!
I have boiled people down to two categories, those that are proactive and those that are reactive. Proactive people anticipate their day, make a plan (even if they don't end up doing it) and take regular moments to check-in with their progress. Reactive people sit back and wait for things to happen, blame others for their problems and are generally the people who talk about how "busy" they are all the time.
Before you think I am judging anyone, I will be honest that I don't always fall into the former category. It is a struggle to be proactive and fill your day with substantive activities that make a difference... but that is life. We all are just trying to find an equilibrium where happiness, fulfillment and responsibilities play out. Balancing means you are on the edge of falling off; next time you feel overwhelmed try thinking of what is important to you and prioritize. This way you won't ever be in danger of going over the cliff.
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