My alternate, not as pretty title: "How to be productive when there are a million things to do and life is stressful.”
There is already a plethora of advice on this subject. With the amount of information coming at us on a constant, daily, hourly basis, yelling at us to DO IT ALL, SLEEP WHEN WE’RE DEAD, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. I’ll use myself as an example: I have been so far gone in my own shit storm of ~ things to do ~ that I sourced the internet for a solution to give me the secret to superhuman efficiency and maintaining a graceful balance. More often than not, the answers caused me even more overwhelm, and I’ve ended up feeling inadequate for still not having it all figured out even after reading Jennifer’s 12 techniques to just getting over it and writing to-do lists in 7 different colors of gel pen (no shade—just getting over things is cool. So are gel pens).
So. Balancing. Here we go.
To be able to juggle all important things in life, you must first be able to call yourself on your own bs. Are you exaggerating your reality to feel as though you have much more to do? Does it make you feel important to constantly be compromised? Do you tack things on your list that really aren’t of top priority, for the sake of staying in constant motion? Do you even fully expect yourself to get all of these things done, or is it just a daunting, out-of-reach list that gives you a reason to complain?
Once you figure out what your personal bs cocktail is, you can begin counteracting all the self-sabotaging actions and limiting beliefs you have about your own productivity, therefore nipping the overwhelm anxiety in the bud. For instance, if you like to exaggerate and feel busy, flip it around and write a list of things you have already accomplished today. If you write endless lists of things that need your “immediate attention,” scale it back and pick the 3 that really can’t wait. Be realistic with yourself.
To actually be in a productive balance, approach tasks at the beginning of the day with gratitude. Try replacing “things to do” with “I get to do ____.” it’s small, but it works. It’s also hard to play the victim when you’re on this wavelength.
Once your thoughts/emotions are flipped towards gratitude, the rest comes with a lot more ease. My personal recommendations for doing the thing(s):
Schedule only a few things per day (as few as physically possible!) so that it seems like less of a beast to tackle.
Schedule yourself things you enjoy too; this takes away the dread associated with task lists and ensures that you actually carve out time to take care of yourself. If you’re not doing anything in the day to lift yourself up, you’re basically inviting imbalance and burnout to come hang out.
B r e a t h e . It’s the one thing you can do anywhere, any time, to instantly get centered and clear your mind. None of that shallow shit, either. Deep breaths. Make time to meditate, if you can. All it takes is five solid minutes.
A final thought to end with—you aren’t always going to be in balance. You can’t always be a go-go-go-getting-everything-for-the-week-done-today-badass. Sometimes all you can complete in 24 hours is a good cry. And that’s fine. It’s human. What you can’t control is the fact that there will always be things to do, a list that shrinks and grows and reminds you that life needs your attention. What you can control is the mindset that gets you through.
Love + light always,
Anna