![]() There's a stability and inner calm that comes with feeling like you're on top of things. Who wouldn't want to feel this way? Yet so many people don't feel this way at all. Instead, they're busy, rushed, and stressed, as they struggle to keep up with everything going on. When you're already stretched, it doesn't take much to knock you off balance and throw you off course. Even something minor can be overwhelming and difficult to deal with. Here are three reasons why you're feeling busy, rushed, and stressed; and how you can start turning things around. 1. You're surrounded by clutter and disorganization. When your environment is cluttered and disorganized, everything either takes longer to do, or becomes more difficult to do. You spend an extra five minutes in the morning looking for that important item you need but can't find, and now you're five minutes behind schedule. Multiply this a few times, and you're totally thrown off before you've even left the house. Getting off to a bad start like this has a cascading effect. You rush to make up for lost time, and the pressure builds as you go through the rest of your day. It's much easier to function in a space that's organized and uncluttered. The old adage "a place for everything and everything in it's place" holds true. By having a consistent place for things, you know exactly where to put them, which means you know exactly where to find them when you need them. If you're trying to get on top of clutter, don't fall into the trap of shuffling things around endlessly. Ask yourself whether it's something you really need (and want) to hold onto. If it's something you genuinely need/want to keep, find a suitable place for it. 2. You have poor scheduling habits. Do you constantly underestimate how long things will take? Do you schedule appointments back-to-back, and then rush from one place to another? Do you fail to make allowances for traffic or transit delays, and then find yourself showing up late? Poor scheduling habits can make it seem as if each day is a blur, as you rush from one thing to another and struggle to arrive on time. Be realistic when planning your schedule. If you tend to underestimate how long things will take, get into the practice of "padding" your appointments with extra time, in case things run longer than expected. Plan your travel time so you're aiming to arrive early, rather than right on time. This gives you wiggle room in case something unexpected happens. You'll arrive at your appointment calmer and more relaxed, without the stress and pressure that comes when you know you're cutting things dangerously close. 3. You take on too much and don't know when/how to say no. There are only 24 hours in a day; that's the reality we all have to work with. And there's only so much you can fit into that 24 hour period, before something gets compromised. If you're taking on too much and trying to squeeze it all in, you'll inevitably feel busy, rushed, and pressured. Staying up late and cutting back on sleep to somehow make things work? That's a recipe for becoming exhausted, rundown, and getting sick. You might even find anxiety creeping in as the effects of stress accumulate. Consider what you can clear off your plate. This might mean saying now when you know trying to accommodate a request would simply be too much. Pushing beyond what you can reasonably leads to anger and resentment. It's far better to be honest and up front with people about what you can and can't do. They'll appreciate knowing that when you do agree to something, you're not doing so grudgingly. Comments are closed.
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