Overwhelmed? 3 Simple Ways to Be Less Busy
Is your calendar filling up with end-of-year events? I spent some time updating my diary this morning, making sure my planner was synced with the family's shared calendar. Until I sat and wrote it all out, I didn’t realise how busy the next couple of months are going to be.
I have had several conversations with overly busy mums recently. They are already tired, and they are dreading the next couple of months as the year draws to a close.
Here are three simple yet powerful questions to ask as you approach the busy weeks ahead. And, just for fun, they all start with the letter D!
Delete
What can you delete from your calendar?
I came across this quote on my Instagram feed this morning:
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” —Peter Drucker
This is gold! It’s great to be efficient and organised, but do you really need to do everything on your to-do list? What can you delete? What can you say no to?
What invitations can you decline? It’s hard to disappoint people, but we don’t have the capacity to say yes to every opportunity that comes across our path. Be discerning. Be brave. Make sure you are making room to say yes to the most important things.
Delay
What commitments can you delay?
Benjamin Franklin said, “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.” I’d like to start a new saying for November and December: “Never do today that which can be done tomorrow, when today is already full of things to do.”
Think about it. What can wait? What deadline can you push back a week (or month) or two? What jobs or projects can you postpone until next year?
We often use the end of the year as a deadline for ourselves. We want the renovations to be finished, the project to be completed, and the goal achieved. It’s great to be able to read the Bible in a year, but it’s just as good to read through the Bible in 15 months. Take the pressure off yourself and delay the things you can.
Delegate
What can you ask someone else to do?
You know those lovely people who always say, “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help”? Why not give them a try?
Look at your to-do list and highlight the things that only you can do. Then, think through who around you is capable and willing to help. It can be as simple as teaching your high school kids how to do their own laundry, asking your husband to take over the vacuum cleaner, or asking a friend to help with the school pick-up a couple of mornings a week.
Asking for extra help isn’t failure—it’s smart. Most of us are much happier to help someone else than to ask for help ourselves. We live in an individualistic society that highly values independence and being able to do everything by ourselves. But it isn’t healthy, and it isn’t realistic. Be a blessing to someone and ask them to help you out when you get snowed under. That is what community is all about.
As the busy end-of-year approaches, ask yourself these three key questions and clear some space in your calendar.
1. What can you delete?
2. What can you delay?
3. What can you delegate?
