I’m a firm believer in the adage ‘if you give a busy person something to do they will do it’. I know when I am moping around, with time up my sleeve, I procrastinate and make poor use of my time. When I am flat out and everyone wants a piece of me, I am super productive…until it all comes crumbling down. Finding a happy medium between keeping busy enough to stay motivated and being intuitive enough to know when enough is enough can be challenging.
I have been through times when I have been so busy at work that I have neglected everything else. My health suffered, my relationships suffered, because I was wrapped up in my job. I wasn’t unhappy, just unbalanced.
As I’ve said in the past, I thrive when I’m busy but I have become very aware of the fact that with me, there is a very fine line. I have a tendency to take on more than I can manage at times, which is something many of you can probably relate to. Being a driven person with lots of goals is great but if you are spreading yourself too thin and wearing yourself out, you will not be producing your best work or being the best you across the board.
It all comes back to balance. If you are putting so much time and energy into one area of your life that is consuming you at the expense of other areas that are equally important then you have lost all sense of balance and it’s time to hit the re-set button. This is something I keep coming back to, primarily because I have been guilty of it and it’s how this blog was born in the first place. I also see it happening with friends, colleagues and clients on a daily basis. Work is crazy but they’re coping, but at the expense of what – Family? Fitness? Sanity? Perhaps life is good, and their fitness and nutrition regime is completely on track, but when was the last time they went out and actually enjoyed a meal with friends without counting calories or feeling guilty? The new romance is blossoming, they’ve got the promotion at work, they see the family every Sunday night for dinner and they have not missed a Pilates class in a month – but what about down time?
If you’re a working Mum, you’ve probably become very unfamiliar with ‘you time’. Likewise, if you’re a professional working in the corporate world with lots of social commitments and networking functions, you’re likely burning the candle at both ends.
Managing your time effectively means more than efficiently ticking off all your tasks, and fitting all your important people into your schedule, it also means scheduling time for yourself.
For me, as I’ve said many time before, this is where I often fall down. I tend to over commit to everything and on the surface, I’ve got it all together, but never discount the value of alone time. Sometimes taking half an hour to simply breathe and be centred is all it takes to get yourself back on track and re-energised to tackle the rest of your day.
For me, having a bath, with some candles and relaxing music to calm the brainwaves is bliss. A walk on the beach is another way I enjoy taking time out, when time permits, as is picking up a good book and reading on my back deck. Whatever it is that you enjoy doing on your own – make the time to do it. Your body and mind will thank you for it, and your family and friends probably will too. When you’re neglecting the most important thing in if your life – you – it’s impossible to be best version of yourself.
