How many times have you already trapped yourself in saying that you are too busy in everything you do that you simply cannot take any new endeavours? It is very recognizable to me as well. In the end, you will have a feeling of guilt from rejecting all those things that you could do but which you have rejected with the excuse of being too busy. What I want to avoid, and I am sure you want that too, is to not being able to do the things we love because of being too busy. If you think about it for a moment, there is actually no such thing as being too busy and having too little time. I agree that if we had an infinite amount of time, we could do all things on the world we like to do. However, even in real life in which we do not have an infinite amount of time, we can still make 24 hours per day enough. I am going to tell you how to do this so that you do not have to use that weak excuse anymore of being too busy. Come read along.
Does it have impact on your future-self?
How much impact do the things you take on now have on your own self in five to ten years time? By asking yourself this question, you can better put things in perspective. Many issues seem important or urgent at the moment they pop up but will they still be tomorrow, let alone in five to ten years time? Everything we do should ideally bring you closer to your future goals, dreams and aspirations. As soon as you realise this, you will notice that a lot of things which have been claiming a large part of your daily activities do not fulfill this condition. What is the point of still doing them? You should remove them from your life. As soon as you start to do this, you will see the magical thing happen of your daily planner showing free spots. You can then fill your precious time with the things that will even matter in five to ten years.
Think for a second before you react
We are constantly being asked to respond and to act upon all kinds of things and triggers. It is simply not possible because the list of demands is infinite, while our time is finite and restricted to 24 hours per day. As soon as you let this sink in, the urge of “wanting to do them all” becomes less. In other words, not responding to everything that is asked from you is a desirable and important thing to do. Once you do this, you will notice that you are not busy as such that you cannot make time for the things you love. Doing the things that bring you happiness should not be waved away and turned down by the simple sentence “I am too busy”.
Focus on your happiness, all the others are of secondary importance
To continue on the above, do not respond to every request and trigger that come your way but rather think for a moment before you decide whether or not to react in the first place. Ask yourself whether that is something that adds value and make your life more easier and / or happier? That is the principle I live by. Everything else that does not fulfill this golden rule, I have learned to simply not consider at all. It might be a hard thing to do, especially if other people are involved and you do not want to reject their requests Even if this means that you have to reject requests of others. Do not feel the urge to satisfy or fulfill this. Everybody is responsible for their own happiness. It is not your responsibility to do this for them.
See time as a partner instead of an enemy
If we keep thinking that we are busy and have no time for everything, then we attract more things and situations that confirm this thought. It is like a vicious circle. The more we feel that the busy state is taking over us, the more it is like we are fighting against time. Instead, take a step back and turn the situation around. See time as your friend and not your enemy. Do not hurry and allow yourself more time in the world. Once you do this, you feel more at peace with yourself. More importantly, it brings you on a flow, free from rush and worrying thoughts about being too busy. You can then better focus on the activities on hand, rendering you to finish things more quickly. Free from time pressure, your performance will be surprisingly better when you are not restricted by time. You will eventually save time by doing things right the first time, instead of having to do things over and over again.
Voilà, that was my secret! Free yourself from everything that do not make your life happier and easier now or within the upcoming five to ten years time. In this way, you can really focus on living a meaningful life that brings your happiness. That is most important after all. Do you have any other tips to make our lives less busy?
I’d love to hear from you.
Until next time!
Love always,
Mee-Ling
