​What does it mean to be “Busy?”

Throughout my life I have had many “seasons.” Periods of time that transitioned into a different phase for one reason or another… marriage, having children, kids in sports, medical issues, new jobs, new neighbors, or even literally the season changing from winter to spring. At each of these different seasons it always seems like I’ve filled my time, with very little time left over for recreation or downtime.

Kris and I happen to be hard workers and put in 100%, 100% of the time, but I think this will apply to most adults. The more time you open in your schedule, the more you will fit into your day. A great example was resigning from teaching last June. I was maxed out as a teacher… I missed out on family outings, never kept up on tv shows, and was simply burnt out. Leaving teaching was one of the most difficult choices I have had to make (that is a story for a different blog), but it was necessary. So, you may think that I now have a bunch of free time and am enjoying my “early retirement.” Oh man I wish that were true. I have replaced teaching with tutoring, bookkeeping, office management, substitute teaching, and writing blogs. 😉 A major motivation is paying bills, but ultimately, I keep myself busy because I feel driven to meet my goals, and that takes this kind of effort.

How does this transition into helpful advice? Although I have always been a person that keeps busy throughout each season of my life, the quality of life and the satisfaction received from the efforts I have put in has not been consistent. At different busy points in my life I’ve had times that have been stress-filled and very difficult. I have also had seasons that have felt more comfortable where I’ve been more successful with meeting goals. Now, I realize that some of the difficult periods were unavoidable and necessary to getting to the next stage or period, but there has been times that I have had to pull myself through or find help to simply make it out.

Although I’m not a life coach, I have paid many people along the way to help me make it through. I have a few strategies that have helped me that I come back to when I need it.
 
Focus on the now:
This one came from a time when I was working with a counselor. I learned to focus on the present… so much worry and stress came from things outside of our control. We can’t change the past so dwelling on something that’s already happened won’t serve any good. The same is true about dwelling on the future… unless you’re Doctor Strange and you can travel into the future; you can’t control the future other than doing your best in the present and this is where your energy is best spent.

Time Audit:
The time audit is a great tool for busy people that want to prioritize time in a different way. My first time-audit was eye opening! I had no idea how to fix my busy schedule because I always felt like I had more to do than the time a day would allow me to complete. The to-do lists (the topic of my previous blog) would carry on from one day to the next. Once I completed a time audit, it helped me to recognize that my priorities were out of alignment, with most of my valuable time that I was putting into things lower on my priority list. By looking at how you spend your time you can make small adjustments that refocus on the things that are most important to you which will give you a much more rewarding life.

Self-Care:
This may seem like something you can skip when you are too busy, but skipping self-care will make you less effective and much more likely to burn out. Prioritizing self-care is essential to keeping up with a busy season of life. Self-care looks different to everyone, but generally self-care is when you take a moment for yourself to decompress. Exercise, reading a good book, getting a massage, taking time to go to the doctor, or spending time with a beloved friend or family member are all great examples of self-care that can help you maintain your productivity.
 
I don’t claim to be an expert on managing a busy lifestyle successfully, but I have the life experience at this point to say with confidence that these three things will help any busy person. If you recognize that you are in a particularly busy season of your life, and it feels like things aren’t going well, take a moment to self-reflect on how you are spending your time, see if it matches with your priorities, schedule that self-care, and always focus on the now.

Thanks for reading! 
<3 Terri