A lot of people today are complaining about how busy they are. Some people spend a lot of time at work, in school, doing household chores, and more. It’s just like “busy” is the new “fine” because when you ask somebody about how they are doing, most people would answer that they are busy. In fact, about 75% of parents in the United States are too busy to read their children bedtime stories, and a lot of people find it difficult to have the opportunity or time for vacations these days.
If you are one of the people who are living with extreme stress daily, know that it does not have to always be that way. Being busy is not inevitable as there are things you can do to make your life less stressful. If you are looking for ways on how you can manage your time and stress levels to be able to give time to other important things in life, then you’re in the right place. Today, we are giving you tips for becoming unbusy.
Being Busy is a Choice
The first thing you need to keep in mind is that being busy is a decision we make. People are not forced to have a busy lifestyle. Therefore, to become less busy, what you need to do is to realize that your schedules are determined by you. It means that you have a choice on the things you do every day. Meaning, you don’t have to live a busy life if you don’t want to.
Do Not Glorify Being Busy
Remember that being busy is not a badge of honor. It is, in fact, directed at the wrong pursuits, which can be a limiting factor for people to be able to see their full potential. For you to be able to start being less busy, tell yourself that it’s okay to not be busy. Repeat that to yourself until you truly feel that being not busy is fine.
Include Rest in Your Schedule
Many people have busy schedules because most of them forget or do not recognize the value of rest. Keep in mind that rest is very important for your bodies, minds, and souls to work well. Therefore, it’s important to include rest in your schedule. You can intentionally schedule vacation on your calendar. Maybe a week for rest and relaxation with your whole family, or two weeks out of town or country. Once you schedule to rest, guard it at all costs.
Review Your Priorities
Another way to become unbusy is by being more intentional with your priorities and goals in life. Try to go back and see again the most significant contributions you can give to the world, and try to schedule your time around those first. It’s because most people are too busy for the reason that they have misplaced priorities.
Try to Own Fewer Things
Did you know that when you have a lot of things, these can also take up more time and mental energy? Yes, even though you don’t realize it. Therefore, for you to become unbusy, you need to start becoming clean, organized, and maintained. Remember that the more things you own, the more time is required for them. So, start owning fewer things and see yourself finding more time for other important things in life.
Encourage Space in Your Daily Routine
Another way to feel less busy is by cultivating space in your daily routine. Take time to have a good lunch, or have a quiet time in the morning to enjoy a cup of coffee before starting your day. It’s also great if you can invest in meditation or yoga. Always find an opportunity for breaks at work in between tasks. When you start doing little moments of space, it can help you feel less stressed and busy.
Try to Track Your Time
Just like tracking your finances, tracking your time can also help you to see how you can use it better. So many tasks can fit in a to-do list, but only a few things can fit in 24 hours when you lay out all your tasks on a calendar. Therefore, when you track your time, you’ll be able to figure out how you can make your schedule better to become less busy and less stressed, as well.
Avoid Over-Stressing
Time management can be effective if you can also manage your energy during that time. This means that you also need to manage your mental bandwidth. Learn to handle different paces of work, avoid running from meeting to meeting, and stop multitasking, because those things would only make you stressed and too busy.
Try Digital Minimalism
Technology can also take a lot of your time. Therefore, you need to make digital technology work for you instead of it working against you. You can do different ways to take back control from your devices. For example, Apple has this app called Screen Time, where you can see the amount of time you spend on your phone, where you spend it, and even how many times you pick up your phone. This can help you to actively cut down your phone time, especially if it’s not about important things. Other things you can do are turning off your notifications, unsubscribing from email newsletters, and spending a lot of time on social media.
Learn to Say No
It’s true that grabbing opportunities is one of the keys to becoming successful. However, there should also be limitations to the things that you say yes to. Remember that no one pursuit can be successfully followed by someone who is preoccupied with a lot of things. Therefore, to become unbusy, you need to learn to say no to less important commitments. This way, you’ll be able to open yourself and pursue the more important things.
These are some of the best tips we can give for becoming unbusy. Remember that busy does not need to define you and that it’s possible to be unbusy. It’s okay to live a happy and calm life. We hope that these tips will help you in becoming unbusy.