I know what it’s like to have a to do list as long as your arm, and be in full panic mode that you’ll never to be able to get it all done. When I think back to all those moments when I was running around shouting about how busy I was, I question whether I actually did have too much to do, or whether I was creating panic and stress with my perspective.
There is no doubt about it, when you are trying to run and build your own business, there is a never ending list of things that need doing. However, a lot of the time, stress and panic that we feel has been self-created. We haven’t been prioritising time for our brains to turn off and process everything from the day, so we keep piling more and more onto it, hoping it can carry the load.
*SPOILER ALERT* It can’t.
Are you creating your ‘busy’?
We desperately need to dispel this idea that you have to work yourself to death, in order to become successful at what you do. It is this mindset, that so many entrepreneurs have, that creates stress and poor mental and emotional wellbeing.
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“it’s the journey that matters not the destination. ”
Most of the time, we don’t even realise that we are creating our own busyness, we convince ourselves that we have strict deadlines that simply do not exist in reality. Our subconscious becomes the back seat driver and starts encouraging us to panic over things that we actually have complete control over.
Identifying when you are actually busy and when you just think you’re busy is the first step in finding a slower rhythm to your daily life. It’s important to make this distinction early, in order to find the most effective solution to your busy problem.
Slowing things down and giving yourself a break
When we are in charge of our own workload, we can be so hard on ourselves. Discipline is of course important when you’re a solopreneur, but it’s important to be disciplined but not restrictive. Don’t beat yourself up if you’re a few hours late with a project, acknowledge why you were late and accept that you are only human.
Slowing things down or taking things slow doesn’t mean that you have to move at a snail’s pace, it’s a frame of mind. Slow living should be about mindfulness and experiencing things as fully as possible, as we all know, it’s the journey that matters not the destination.
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“Remember that everything you do is for a reason.”
The first tip for slowing down your busy life is to schedule in time to do nothing. It doesn’t mean you have to do nothing, it just means that you have that time to do what ever your body and soul needs in that moment. If that is nothing at all, then great. If that is watching episodes on Netflix back to back, then that’s great too.
For example, I always give myself a lunch break that gives me enough time to eat a proper meal and give me some extra time to just sit and relax, read or go for a walk. I can rest easy knowing that I’ve blocked that time out for this purpose and I don’t have to feel guilty about not sitting at my desk.
Practice mindfulness and gratitude
I know that gratitude and mindfulness is something that is drilled into us, especially in the wellness community, but it is worth pushing that these two things can make a huge difference.
Instead of rushing through every task on your list, just so you can get to the next thing, practice paying attention to how you feel doing that job.
Are you happy doing the task?
Is there something specific that you really love about this task?
Is there something you hate about this task and is there a way you can make it more fun?
Remember that everything you do is for a reason. Remind yourself what that reason is and what benefits this will bring to your life. If it’s doing your tax return (nobody likes doing taxes), what does doing this mean for you? It might mean that you are a successful business owner that needs to do their taxes, it might mean that you’ve earned a specific amount in the tax year that you should be proud of.
Keeping a gratitude journal or an achievement journal is also a great idea to help slow things down. It doesn’t have to take forever, it could literally be five bullet points of things at the end of the day, that you are particularly proud of or grateful for. It could be that you do it once a week or once a month!
Start thinking of life a bit like being on a treadmill that you can’t stop, you can slow it down, you can choose the incline. You have more control over your life than you realise, even if you can’t stop it, there are ways to make it easier for yourself.
