Are you constantly telling people you’re busy? Are you often late to events or have to leave early to get to your next commitment? Do you find that you let those who care about you down by not being available?
If you answered yes to any of the questions, you may want to consider decluttering your schedule.
Being busy in itself is not necessarily a bad thing but if it causes you stress or if you have become unreliable and/or unavailable to important people in your life, it is time to reassess your commitments.
Some people like to brag about being busy, but being busy isn’t a badge of honor. Managing your time effectively and being reliable is much more award-worthy.
Finding a balance between scheduled events and free time will help you feel less stressed and allow you to focus on what is important to you.
Tips to Consider
- When scheduling commitments, think about your priorities and goals and only schedule things that align.
- Keep at least one free day a week.
- When scheduling recurring commitments, schedule out a chunk of weeks at a time (I do 1 month) and then reassess those commitments to make sure they still align with your goals and priorities before you schedule the next chunk.
- Be available to the people who mean the most to you.
- Know your limitations and don’t overschedule yourself.
Benefits of a Decluttered Schedule
- More time for the things that are important to you.
- More time to be spontaneous.
- Less time rushing from commitment to commitment.
- Less stress.
- More time to relax.
- More time to be present.
Remember
You plan your day. You get to decide how you spend your time. Before you say yes to new commitments, take time to think about the time you are trading in and make sure it’s worth it.
Challenge
Write a list of your goals and priorities and then take a look at your calendar for the next month. Does each of your commitments align with a goal or priority? Are there any commitments that you can cancel?
Thanks to COVID, there is absolutely nothing on my personal calendar for 2021 and that makes me sad. My work calendar, on the other hand, is out of control!
Things were like that around here for a long time but now that things are opening back up I’ve noticed a lot of people filling up their schedule even more so than before covid! It is crazy.
I guess they are making up for lost time. But they will end up over-stressed.
That’s for sure!
Great post, love the comment about badge of honour and love the idea to keep one day free 👍❤️
My free days always end up being my favorite!
I missed this post from last year! It’s a really good one, though. Being too busy for the most important things/people in life is a terrible way to spend our days. Very thought-provoking with some great tips, Suzanne! 🌞
I agree! Thanks for reading.