When Time Is Not Your Friend
Last week’s blog touched on the stress often incurred in the merry, merry month of May. Its hidden dangers and insidious inroads into job/life satisfaction warrant a deeper look at the subject.
Are you too busy? Let’s look at some of the telltale signs creeping up on us. Like the veritable frog thrust into boiling water, we often feel uncomfortable, squirm and suddenly realize we’re in over our heads. The solution may rest in recognizing the early signs of the too much to do syndrome.
Watch for trends, not isolated weeks. For example, planner clumping is a real problem in adulthood. You know what I’m talking about…you’re asked to do one thing, and you think you can. You’re asked to do a second, and yes, you think you can. Then suddenly both commitments end up on the same day, often in the same time frame. How does that happen? The calendar gods have struck again! We tend to overlook these aberrations in a normally well-ordered life as isolated incidents. Life will be better when this is over; things will settle down. If this is becoming a monthly mantra, however, you’re experiencing stress from too much to do.
Reevaluate commitments.
Reschedule events.
Decline a few invitations.
Get a red pencil and X out part of your planner.
Realize that planner clumping has become the norm rather than an exception to the norm.
If you don’t change your course, you will be bottling up stress with all its concomitant outcomes.
Be proactive to decrease the impact of deadline mania. You know what this is like! A project deadline looms and suddenly you are spending endless hours in preparation. It’s not your fault. You didn’t set the date. You aren’t responsible for the snafus along the way. You didn’t hire too few people to see it through to a reasonable conclusion…but you are suddenly missing from the dinner table every night and you’re popping in once the kids are in bed.
If you are looking at a deadline, plot a reasonable course to completion and begin soliciting solutions before it becomes an issue.
If you are currently locked into a deadline, look for ways to reorder your day. Find times to be free when you want to be free, and to work when it’s more convenient to work.
Recognize your value when advocating for reinforcements or time extensions.
Reevaluate your current job if deadline mania is a consistent issue;
determine if this is the path you want to remain upon.
If you are single and you thrive upon the challenge, that’s great.
If you are feeling pinched on every side, that’s not so great. You may need a different job. Make a change.
A third often overlooked symptom of being too busy is the incessant use of electronic devices, especially when it isn’t required. You know what I mean. Your phone becomes a conduit to incessant scrolling or a game or some other stress reliever, just magnifying the current problem. You’re never fully present, nor are you ever fully relaxed. You are the proverbial frog and you need to remove yourself from the hot water.
Make a list of current expectations and schedule stress-reduction periods between them. Sit and do nothing for three minutes. Look at a lovely scene. Meditate and breathe slowly.
Increase your focus on what matters most.
Work some daily exercise into your day. Whether it’s taking the stairs instead of the elevator or a walk or a treadmill, find a way to work out the kinks.
Put your phone down.
Being present precedes the satisfaction of a rich life.
Take steps to really live like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life.
If you don’t, you’ll look back and wonder what happened to twenty years of your life and wonder if it was worth it.
Stress-related illnesses may decrease your quality of life.
Remove yourself from the hot water.
It’s not like we don’t know stress is harmful; it’s more like we find ourselves incapable of recognizing it and then changing our circumstances. Instead, let’s make ourselves masters of our own destinies. Buckle your seatbelts, because stress never ends, and we’ll revisit this topic every week in May.