Personal Development

Stop Hurrying and Start Living

If you’re not getting enough things done on your to-do list, you’re not alone. It’s common to feel a little overwhelmed, rushed, and even guilty when you’re unable to get everything done each day. It becomes very challenging to stay focused.

Then the little things seem to start piling up. The dishes are dirty and the laundry needs to be done. The only obvious solution is to be even busier and to schedule every minute of the day.

It’s important to remember that nothing stays finished for long. Most of us feel like everything has to be done before we give ourselves permission to enjoy life. However, that moment of feeling “caught up” never seems to come.

Try these tips if you need to create a little more space and enjoyment in your life :

1. Learn to be glad that you have more work to do:

Remember, if you have more to do, your time is valuable. Can you imagine the implication of not having many tasks to complete at work? Yes, you’d likely be out of a job sooner, rather than later.

Feel grateful that so many of the people in your life need you.

2. Look for dead time:

You might believe that you’re busy 24/7, but that’s likely untrue. Use those moments between tasks to mentally relax. We all think much more than necessary.

If you’re working on a report at work, you’re probably also thinking about lunch, the unpaid cable bill, and what you’re going to do this weekend. These are not helpful nor needed to get your report completed.
You’ll be much more relaxed and get more accomplished if you mentally limit yourself to the task at hand.

3. Slower can be faster:

The military has a saying, “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” Approaching each task calmly will frequently result in getting it done quicker. As our minds become overstimulated, it’s much more challenging to stay focused.

Think about how quickly you tie your shoes each day. Now try to tie your shoes as quickly as possible. You’ll almost certainly find that you’ve become slower. Any excessive increase in tension slows things down.

4. Limit unnecessary tasks:

There’s no point in spending valuable time on things that don’t matter. If you’re spending time on tasks that have little meaning, ditch them.

5. Limit the important tasks, too:

You can probably only get a few important tasks done each day. Making a list of 5 is certain to lead to feeling overwhelmed. Pick the 2-3 most important tasks to focus on. The rest can wait until tomorrow.

6. Give yourself the time you need:

Everyone does some mental math each day that goes something like this, “This meeting ought to take 60 minutes. I’ll need 20 minutes to interview that job candidate. I have 30 minutes to drive home and change. Then, I still have 15 minutes to get Sarah to soccer practice.”

We all tend to be optimistic, and our mental schedule requires everything to go perfectly. The interview could take 20 minutes, at best. It might also take 40 minutes. It probably won’t take 10.
Be realistic and give yourself the time required for each task, as well as the time between tasks.

If you’re constantly in a hurry, life can feel chaotic and joyless.

You have more time available than you realize. You can also learn to enjoy a busy schedule. Simply focus on each task and give yourself time to complete it. Remember that remaining calm and slowing down can actually increase the amount you get accomplished.

Viken Mikaelian

Viken Mikaelian is the CEO of PlannedGiving.com and Major Gifts LLC — the resource for all your major and planned giving marketing needs. Viken is available for speaking engagements on planned giving marketing, personal development and time management at viken.net. Connect with Viken on LinkedIn.