Question: I’m Just Too Busy. How Do I Find More Time? “I feel like I’m always rushing, always stressed, and still don’t have enough time for the things in life that are most important to me. This stresses me out a lot. What can I do?”
Answer: Many people find themselves too busy these days, which causes stress. The reasons vary from person to person, but the following are some main ones why people find themselves too busy, along with time management and stress management ideas to help:
1. It’s OK To Say No: Many people end up overscheduling themselves because they feel uncomfortable saying “no” when people ask things of them. This may be because they don’t want to admit to themselves that they can’t “do it all,” or perhaps because they don’t want to disappoint others. Unfortunately, they ultimately disappoint themselves by not having enough time to do what’s important to them.
Does this apply to you? If so, learning to say no might be a good time management priority.Use it to create space in your schedule for what’s important to you. More on the topic of saying NO on a later post.
2. Be Clear On Your Priorities: Some people become overscheduled because they add activities to their schedules for the wrong reasons, and end up spending their days doing things that don’t reflect their values and priorities. Then they find themselves struggling to fit in what’s important to them. Necessities like adequate sleep and other healthy habits fall by the wayside.
Is this you? To find out, make a list of what’s most important to you. List things like family, friends and career. Then look at how you spend your days. See how much time goes to these things. Is it a good match, or are you spending an inordinate amount of time doing things that aren’t as important to you? It’s never too late to make changes.
3. Map It Out: A common time management trap many people fall into is that they don’t know where their time goes, or they overestimate the amount of time they have available and underestimate the amount of time each activity takes to complete, and become overcommitted. How many times have you found yourself adding new activities to your schedule when you don’t really know how you’ll find the time to do them? If you remember several such instances, you may need to keep a careful schedule, writing down everything you do. Don’t agree to new activities until you’ve found a way to pencil them in, overestimating the amount of time you think it will take to complete them.
Til next time
Gail Kingston
