5 Power Habits to adopt when you’re ready to ditch Crazy Busy
Crazy busy, exhausted and barely making it through each week?
Let’s face it, being constantly busy is an outdated and totally destructive ideal. We know it already. Along with physical punishment, artificial sweeteners and sunbathing without sunscreen, CRAZY BUSY is something we can safely leave behind - to the times when we just didn’t know better. And not a moment too soon!
Being busy is just a bad habit, much like smoking or. (Know anyone who’s retired after a long career and continues to be crazy busy doing nothing??)
Old habits can die hard…unless you replace them with new, better ones.
5 Power Habits to adopt when you’re ready to ditch Crazy Busy:
1. Practice the Power of No.
Stop being a Yes Man, and taking on more than you can handle. Stop spreading yourself thin! Let people do their own work, handle their own consequences, sort out their own issues, learn from their own mistakes. Skip social engagements that don’t excite you. Stop over-scheduling yourself (and your kids). NO is your new best friend.
ONLY say Yes when you can do it wholeheartedly. Never give a reluctant Yes. Simply say:
No, I’m not available to work late tonight.
Thank you for the invite, but I won’t make it this time.
Sorry, weekends are my family time – I’ll get back to you on Monday.
I’m at capacity and can’t take any more on at the moment.
This isn’t really my expertise, but I can point you to someone who can help.
I’m too tired to really be present right now. Can we talk another day?
I’m not open to hosting visitors this week.
OR
I need to think about this. Can I give you and answer tomorrow when I’ve had a chance to sleep on it and check my schedule.?
The world won’t collapse. They won’t hate you. They won’t stop asking or wanting you. They will just start to respect your time more. When you respect your time, others will too. The Power of No will liberate you!
Warren Buffet says that ‘the difference between Successful and Really Successful People is that Really Successful People say NO to almost everything’.
2. Own your time.
Busy does NOT equal effective or productive. On the contrary: To be truly productive you need to develop the plenty of downtime, you-time, rest and play (yes, you read it right). Some companies have found 3-day work week to be more productive than a 5-day work week. Go figure!
There won’t be time left for you after you’ve done everything else…because everything else will never be done. But you can make time for yourself and prioritise it. Own your own time and schedule it in. (Yes, really!)
Start the day with You time. Then tackle the day. Or do whatever works for you, but don’t wait for there to be time left for you - it ain’t gonna happen. Put your time in your calendar!
3. Triage your to-do list.
When we’re busy and stressed out we tend to approach everything as a matter of absolute urgency. The smallest thing can break the camel’s back. But in reality very few things are that urgent!
In emergency rooms medical personnel triage conditions to Red, life-threatening issues that require immediate attention, Yellow less urgent matters that can wait but need attending to soon, and Green that’s stuff that can be wait for care outside of Emergency room (= that someone else can do). It sounds simple -and it is- yet very effective way to ease the pressure and be realistic about what’s important.
I bet there are a whole bunch of things on your to-do list that can wait! And no-one will actually even notice….
4. Drop the Shoulds.
Often we feel stuck and overwhelmed when we feel like we don’t have a choice. But most things in life are a choice, whether we realise it or not. With the exception of breathing, taxes and death. Should is always subjective and somewhat imaginary.
Yet we burden ourselves and our children with oh so many Shoulds, and worse yet, we believe them…
Try dropping Should from your vocabulary altogether! You don’t need it anymore. You should do this or I should do that is just in your head. It’s just an opinion, not the absolute truth.
Ask: Do I want to / choose to? Find the options. Exercise your freedom to choose!
5. Clear your head to clear your schedule.
In case you didn’t figure it out yet: you’re not just busy because of your external circumstance (even with a job and a family). You’re busy because you’re in the habit. Busy mind creates a busy life.
Juggling lots of balls in the air -or in your head- at the same time is a skill that’s useful on some rare occasion, but not all the time. That’s just ineffective! When we multitask we are 40% less effective than when we concentrate on one thing at a time.
So learn to compartmentalise (= park any unhelpful thoughts, or thoughts you don’t need to be thinking about right now, to be picked up later – or never).
Mindfulness is a great tool to do just that. It’s where we train our mind and body to be at the same place at the same time. Instead of having our thoughts always at the next thing and the next thing, worrying, what if-ing, or ruminating over past events… Mindfulness is like a holiday for your brain – and a superb tool to unclutter your mind.
When your mind clears, so will your life. The need to keep busy falls away. Your focus and presence becomes unwavering, and you can enjoy life fully since you are fully there.
It’s time to stop surviving and start thriving and ENJOYING this life.
If you need help breaking old habits and getting into new, better ones fast, get in touch! Strategic Therapy can help.
Why waste another day? Contact us Now or Book a Free 15-min Consultation Call with Liisa.
