Life can be hard. You’re trying to handle everything that comes your way, but, no matter how hard you try, things still keep piling up more and more. There always seems to be a never-ending list of things you need to do or should have already done, acan as you are able to check several things off of the top of your list, more to-do’s are added to the bottom. It’s like having a Mary Poppin’s bag of to-do lists. Does this sound familiar? While staying moving and productive can be a good thing, if not handled with intention, a stressful schedule can easily become too much. Burn-out is all too common and it can happen to anyone. Keep reading, however, for some effective and easy ways to avoid burnout and handle that stressful schedule with care.
Morning Routine
How you start your day is incredibly important. If you wake up and feel instantly bombarded with a barrage of thoughts and anxiety about all of the things you have to do that day, instantly that puts you in a fight or flight mode. Staying calm and present is vital to staying level-headed and focused regarding your schedule. Taking time in the mornings, even if it’s just a few minutes, to center yourself and calm your mind can make you more efficient and honestly just happier, throughout the day. Instead of rushing immediately to your to-do list, take a few minutes and meditate, journal or even just some deep breaths while you do your skincare routine. Intentionally setting up a little bit of time to do this will set you up to make your day even better.
Prioritize
Prioritization is key when trying to tackle the stressful day before you. Figure out what needs to happen first before letting the number of things you have to do overwhelm you. For example, if you need to do a few loads of laundry, you’ll need to clean your room first. If you get home from work and your kitchen is flooded, that should most likely be taken care of before figuring out dinner. If you have a presentation from work a week from now, work backward to figure out what steps you need to take to be ready. You have to walk before you can run.
Lists Are Your Friend
One of the best ways to prioritize the things on your schedule is to make a list. You can even start out by just writing frantically on a piece of paper all of the things that pop into your head that need to get done. From there, take a step back, and look at the list as a whole. If it’s May and you’re already thinking about buying Christmas presents, move that down to the bottom of the list. If your in-laws are coming to stay this coming weekend, maybe move your grocery shopping up to the top of the list. Remember, think small to big. What do I need to do first in order to make all of these other, bigger things, happen smoothly?
Keep Track of Your Time
If you are first starting out with all of this and need a little practice, take a week or so and keep a rough estimate of how long everything you do takes you. Time spent at work? Forty hours every week. Commute time? Thirty minutes every day. Grocery shopping? An hour and a half every week. Keep track of everything as best you can. This will help you plan your schedule in the future, as well as being an excellent way to keep track of if, and how, you may be wasting any idle time throughout the day or week.
Unwind
You have to take time for yourself! Going non-stop only works for so long. Just like taking a few minutes in the morning is important, so is unwinding at the end of the day. What’s something feasible you can do, that you enjoy, that will help you? Can you watch an hour of your favorite show every night? Can you get a massage every other week? Whatever it is, make sure you get enough time for just you.
Making little tweaks here and there to your schedule can make a world of difference. You don’t have to be perfect right away and you don’t have to do everything right away either. Just slowly build that awareness by incorporating some of these small tricks and, over time, it will get easier.