Do You Feel Overwhelmed At Times?

It seems that everyone is too busy.  When you ask someone how they are, they respond, “I’m so busy!” And we all wish we had more time to get things done. Here’s the deal:  there are 24 hours in a day for each of us, no more, no less, and we have to make choices on how to spend those precious hours.  So perhaps if we’re feeling overwhelmed, maybe we need to look at why…what are we so busy doing that it’s making us crazy?

Are you attached to being busy?

Setting realistic goals is a good idea.  But sometimes, we have a tendency to set too many goals in a day or week that there just isn’t enough time to get to them all.  Sound familiar?  Of those 24 hours a day, hopefully 8 are spent sleeping which leaves 16 to work, exercise, take care of children/family/pets, maintain a home or living space, take classes, meditate, volunteer and/or socialize etc.

What are your priorities?

When you look at your to-do list, how much of it is really important to you?  Are there things you could let go of, or move to another month?  One thing I learned many years ago is that you can’t manage time, you can only manage what you do with that time.  So instead of making long to do lists (that really create overwhelm), try putting all your priorities on your calendar and attach a time to each of them.  For example, I put all my clients down and highlight them in pink, then I add daily priorities like meditation and exercise, and then fit in things around those, allowing ample time for driving, and getting places in traffic.  You can’t make a 6pm yoga class if your last one hour client is at 5!  So be realistic and avoid stressing over things you can’t control or change.  Maybe you could move the client or find a yoga class that starts at 6:30pm close by.  I also try to book only one major house project at a time and spread them out over the year.  Each night, I check off the priorities and if I missed one, I move it to the next day.  This system really helps me avoid overwhelm; try it and see if it helps you.

How about letting go and feeling better?

A colleague once said, there’s nothing sexy about being so busy that you’re stressed out and overwhelmed.  Give yourself permission to relax, chill, and reward yourself for not filling up every minute of your day with busy-ness.  My goal is to get rid of as much paper, clutter, and stuff on my to do list that doesn’t matter to me, so I can feel lighter and enjoy life more!  How about you?  If you’d like to free up more time for joy, join me on September 15th at Noon-1pm for a free meditation session on Letting Go of Stress and Overwhelm.  Let go and see if it makes a difference in your life!