Managing life in busy seasons
A 5 minute desk tidy always helps me focus before important projects.
The holiday season is an easy time to get overwhelmed and anxious. There are plenty of companies that use the tag line “prepare now to start the new year well!”. While I understand that there’s magic in defining what you want for next year during Christmas; there is also this added layer of pressure to start the year perfectly. It’s like saying that if you don’t start the year well then you may as well give up because you’re doomed. I don’t subscribe to this way of thinking. I’m NOT saying don’t plan or have goals. I’m saying that plans need to be based on a solid foundation that isn’t created from pressure and panic or by looking at what the rest of the world is doing. The rest of the world isn’t living your life! You are!
Life doesn’t begin and end with what you do on New Year’s day. I start using the tending list in my Powersheets from January onwards. BUT here’s the thing. I don’t do that as a way to mark the start of a year or to define the year. I do this because I want to work towards the big picture future with tiny steps right now in the day to day of my life. I can buy a new set of Powersheets anytime I want and start any day of the whole year (ok maybe not with a dated planner but yay for 6 month undated Powersheets!!).
As this year comes to a close there are some things I’m doing to minimise my stress levels and keep my anxiety as low as possible.
My top tips to overcome anxiety and overwhelm heading into new seasons:
1. Get your to-do’s out of your head!!!
You know what I’m talking about. Those small small things that you tell yourself you’ll remember and then later forget. It’s amazing how much pressure this then puts on the brain because you know you’ve forgotten something but you don’t know exactly what it is. I get around this by always having a notepad on my desk or bedside table. It helps free up mental space because I’m not preoccupied by things I need to do. Then I’m free to get on with the bigger things and I can add to the list if and when things come up.
2. Automate regular purchases
Do you find you’re constantly ordering or re-ordering the same things when they run out or on a last-minute basis? I’ve done this a little too often with toothpaste, shampoo and so on and then end up spending more on high priced items. What I now do is use the Amazon ‘Subscribe and Save’ function to order these things on a regular basis. You can set the interval for orders and then adapt as you go through the year once you are sure how often you need things. Make sure you keep a list of things that are on repeat order so that you don’t end up doubling up by adding these items to weekly shopping baskets etc. I keep a list of subscribe and save items in the back of my planner and find shopping this way keeps my sanity in check.
3. Advance schedule appointments
This is something I’ve started as of a few months ago. Back in October I had emergency dental treatment and I don’t want any more unexpected things to pop up like that again! I now schedule in health checks at the appropriate interval (dentist appointments annually, optician appointments every 2 years, GP every 6 months and so on). Most health care providers will allow you to schedule appointments a good 6 months or so in advance so set a reminder to make sure you book the appointments. You can do this on your phone or in your planner in a matter of seconds. This also helps with planning because you can then manage your days and weeks around appointments instead of the other way around. Make time for your health and body and it will make time for you!
4. Add self-care items to your task list or make them an appointment in your calendar…
It’s easy to add chores and projects that need to get done to the day-to-day list. But doing that means it’s easy to get burnt out when you’re constantly moving from one task to another. I love doing this for things like tea & books or even creative projects. I often give myself a few fun creative projects to choose from over the weekend. It gives me something to look forward to and stops me feeling bored when I can’t think of something rewarding to do. It can be difficult to add self-care to your list when you feel guilty but here’s something to remember: if you are not looking after your own health and happiness then you cannot effectively serve and help other people. It comes from the philosophy that you can’t serve from an empty tank. Doing self-care helps to refresh your energy level so that you can keep going long term in a healthy way! If you want to take it a step further you can even create a separate selfcare list of all the things you love doing and then slot things into your calendar from that.
5. Simple planning systems
I love my three part planning system (See blog post: My Planning system ) It works for me and when I’m in busy seasons of my life it helps me keep my sanity. BUT when it comes to Christmas, New Year and holiday time in the year I keep my planning system very minimal. For me holiday time is less about getting my task list done and more about spending time with the people who mean the most to me. I can’t focus on creating memories if I’m concentrating on a never-ending to-do list. The way I do this is by not putting much on my calendar or planner in December and January. I don’t have more than a few things to do per day and I don’t stuff the calendar full of events. It’s my time to breathe and unwind in addition to reflecting on the year. Essential things will come up but always allow myself grace and space to breathe.
6. Mini declutter sessions
Before you panic at this one I’m not talking about tidying an entire room or sorting out the kitchen. When I say mini I mean MINI. This could be something like taking a section of your office desk then taking the things off the desk and putting back just what you want to keep and binning/boxing-up the rest. I find that doing mini declutter sessions like this helps me to re-focus my brain before I settle into my day to start my day job or blog writing time. Other mini declutter projects could include – one kitchen draw, one shelf on your bathroom cupboard or even a stack of papers. The smaller the better for feeling great afterwards. It’s all the small wins that add up! Try it and see how you feel.
7. Banish your smartphone!
Not permanently! But I wonder if having a landline again is the way to go?! There are hundreds and hundreds of posts about not waking up to your phone or opening emails first thing in the morning. After reading a fellow blogger’s latest blog post (at Lauramurraycreative.com) I decided to try something to help my productivity. How about not having your phone near you when you need to have concentrated work time? I’ve only been experimenting with this for a few days now and I have to say the difference is HUGE. By not having my phone on my desk I find that not only do I focus for longer at a time but I also get a lot of good quality work done. Check out Laura’s blog post here.
Which of these will you use to help navigate overwhelm in busy periods of life? Let me know in the comments :)