Being busy is a badge. But surely if we’ve learned anything over the past 2 years, it doesn’t have to be.
It’s easy, even seductive to ignore the importance of filling our time with meaningful activities, thinking instead that we’ll be happy with merely filling our time.
But being “busy being busy” means you are doing stuff that keeps you from doing what you really should and want to be doing.
If you find yourself feeling frazzled, explaining away things with a busy status, it’s probably time to slow down and pay attention to the important stuff. The stuff that is going to help you shift your mindset and see the endless possibilities of joy and happiness in your life.
11 Ways to Stop Being Busy
- Look into having your groceries delivered. Supermarkets and local green grocers all deliver. Best part is, you can save your regular “list” so it gets quicker! 10 mins and I’m done!
- Find a cleaning lady to come once every two weeks for two hours.
- Train and/or pay your kids to do jobs you don’t love. Putting the groceries away, vacuuming, sort washing, empty the dishwasher, feed the pets, clean toilets (trust me, their aim gets better when they have to clean it themselves!)
- Wind down at night with a book, rather than a screen. You’ll sleep better too!
- Pick a podcast to listen to during your commute or morning walk.
- Find a local teenager (if you don’t have one of your own) to help you out – mow your lawn, help kids with homework, maybe even vacuum or start dinner (see below).
- Consider meal delivery options such as Hello Fresh, Marley Spoon or My Food Bag. No more figuring out what is for dinner and if you have the ingredients. Get your teen/adult kids to cook it. You just regained HOURS of your time and taught them a life skill.
- Make a list. Rather than letting all the things you have to do swirl about in your head uncontrollably and continuously, make a list and get it out of your head. Part of regaining time is being more efficient and making the most of your time.
- Schedule less. To this you might say, “WTF” but overwhelm is becoming a regular state of mind, perhaps you should consider doing less. If you try to do all the things… and end up doing nothing… simplify and schedule less.
- Go to bed earlier and get more sleep. When you are well rested – you are a well oiled machine. When you’re exhausted – guaranteed you will feel more scattered and overwhelmed.
- Set limits on how much time you spend online, watching TV or playing video games. When you’re overwhelmed and exhausted, Netflix is all you want to do. But those 6 hours you just spent binge watching Yellowstone aren’t making you any less stressed out… it’s a vicious cycle.
