- Schedule more things in a day than is humanly possible to accomplish.-Then get mad for not being productive.
- Put off grocery shopping until you run out of food, then you can grab extra food at random and hope some of it is healthy even when you forgot to make the list of meal ingredients.
- Stay up extra late to do chores and get up extra early to get to the office so you can get some work done while you are still tired and half asleep.
- Promise to save time for your family then consistently be late or cancel plans with them for work.
- Bring your most stressful events home with you and spend all your time talking about what went wrong today.
- Come home early but spend your time thinking about what happened at work today.
- Put off your own vacation because other people need the time off.
- Take time off only when you are so exhausted that you can only lay around the house and sleep.
What is the key factor here? You. You have set up unrealistic expectations for yourself. When you over promise and under deliver - it is added stress and disappointment for you and your loved ones.
What is a stress solution for this?
Start by setting up a list of priorities. What is really important to you? How do you make choices that support your desires and goals? It is easy to just get caught up in tasks, the daily to dos, and not ever stop and consider if your time is well spent.
Here is a lesson from martial arts: you must slow down to speed up. When you are in constant physical motion and whirling all day long - you have minimal effectiveness and efficiency of movement. Those who slow down, observe their surroundings and move based on best choices will save energy and time. Slow down to make time to write out your priorities for the day or week.
Second action is to choose to be present in the moment. If you are at home - be focused on home, if you are with friends be with them mentally. Where ever you are – give it your full attention. Trying to multi-task all day long is exhausting and leaves you a lot of loose ends to clean up later.
Third action is to set time limits on your activities. Be realistic on how long it takes you to complete something and give it that full amount of time. Avoid the temptation to fit one more thing in. That leaves you feeling rushed and late for everything else.
Pay attention to the small things that bring you joy. Take time for yourself and enjoy it.
