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I’m So Busy ! I don’t have the time to...
- Exercise
- Spend enough time with my family
- Take a time-out for some me time
- Take time off from work
- Enjoy a hobby
- Invest time in a professional or personal development program
- Sleep
- Meditate
- Go to Yoga
- Cook dinner for the family instead of eating fast food
- Other ___________________
Congratulations for taking the time to read this article if you are “crazy busy.” It is a sign that you realize being so busy is an unacceptable way to live and that you are contemplating change.
This is a particularly dangerous time of year because of all the seasonal demands. Many people are bordering on overwhelm. The extra activities associated with the holidays can put you over the edge. The stress that comes with the excessive busy-ness is harmful to your health. Stress can cause over eating, problems sleeping and other physical ailments.
We have come to accept this extreme busy-ness as normal. Being high on the stress, drama and adrenaline that results from being excessively busy is, unfortunately, a way of life for many people.
I often wonder why the workaholic is an admired addict when other addictions are scorned.
Frog in boiling water:
The frog in boiling water story is a wonderful analogy for what has happened to our society when it comes to the level of busy-ness and stress we consider acceptable.The story states that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water, that is then slowly heated, it will not jump out. It will die. Translate the message in the story to people’s inability to notice and respond to a gradual increase in the stress in their lives.Smart Phones, Social Media, instant gratification, and the arrogance of indispensability are resulting in a way of life that is increasingly stressful.The temperature of the water in our lives is reaching the boiling point.
Choice
People have lost sight of the fact they do have a choice . They can jump out of the water before it boils over and kills them like the frog. People are smarter than frogs! They can turn off their mobile phones. They can limit the number of times a day they check email and FaceBook. They can choose to more carefully select the priorities for how they use their time. Despite what you may think you are not indispensable.
Life Management
If you are serious about taking back control of your life by choosing to be less busy, here are a few ideas:
Make a commitment to reduce the stress in your life. Share it with significant others.
Focus on the solution. Don’t stay tied up in the problem.
Manage the source or root cause of your busy life - not just the symptoms.
Stop living your life on auto pilot and start being intentional about how you use your time
Manage the inner self-talk demons that cause guilt when you change the way you use your time
At the end of the day, ask yourself this question ‘Did I consciously do my best today or did I simply do, do, do without attaching my actions to my values and my priorities? Take appropriate action.
"When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there." Zig Ziglar
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It doesn’t seem possible. Another year is nearly over. Little did I know that 2011 was going to bring me a major house renovation - kitchen, two baths and my den. When I told others about the complications and challenges I was running into everyone says - oh that happens all the time. No one ever told me that!
