OVER SCHEDULING & WHY WE DO IT

by natalie hart |

Do you ever wonder why your calendar and to do list look like they belong to three people? Do you wistfully think about the phrase unplugged while searching for your phone that is in your hand?

It is possible you are using “busy” as a way to cope with other things. All of us have been through a lot the last few years. We can feel intense pressure right now to “make up time” which frankly is just not possible. Sometimes we try to do it by saying yes to everything and everyone, it can also be a way to distract us from other issues. Maybe it’s grieving, the need to make other changes in our lives or just not having paid attention to our mental or physical health.

The signs can be subtle and range from needing to cut short attendance at friends and family events to missing deadlines. Sometimes they are loud and obvious, constant phone calls and notifications. Midnight stretches of work to hit a submission or frantically calling to get someone to cover for you. But we can’t live on the edge of adrenaline forever. You do need some downtime. Ask yourself when the last time you had a proper vacation. In the gig job world it can sometimes be hard to do that, but we all need to ask ourselves if that little extra is really a good extra. Make some time to declutter the to-do list, it will feel as good as decluttering a closet I promise!