We’ve all heard and muttered the famous words by Lucille Ball – “If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it.” The problem is many times, we are the “busy person” who keeps getting asked to do things. Every day, our schedules keep begging us to just say “No!” instead of saying “yes.” We just keep taking on more projects, tasks, and responsibilities. Then we wonder why we feel overwhelmed.
Here are a few tips to keep our schedules and lives from becoming overwhelming:
1. Trim the fat. Take a moment to look at all the personal, family, and work commitments on the calendar. How many are priorities and “must do’s,” the world will stop if we don’t do these things? If we are honest, we could remove several commitments from the schedule for now.
2. Down Time. Every day, everyone needs 15 minutes of downtime. Read a magazine or a book, listen to music, throw a personal dance party, or watch paint dry. Unplugging gives our bodies and minds a chance to reset.
3. No more guilt. We’re afraid to say “no” because we don’t want to let anyone down, we’re afraid we won’t get asked to help anymore, no one else is willing to help, or it wasn’t supposed be a big commitment. We need to realize our happiness and mental stability are not worth sacrificing to please other people.
4. Delegate. We can’t be everywhere all the time making sure everything gets done. Delegating is a great way to share the workload and responsibility with others. Whether the commitment, task, or project is personal or work related.
Each day brings the opportunity to make memories, enjoy precious moments, and be a difference-maker. Oh, what wonderful things we miss out on or take for granted when worrying about our schedules.