Have you ever had a day where everything feels like it’s urgent? Maybe a whole load of days? You’re not sure where to focus next, it’s full on, maybe you’re stressed and your brain has about as much clarity as a bowl of custard.
Too many of those kind of days can knock your balance for six and leave you in a permanent semi-frazzled state. In your frazzled state, little things feel big, big things feel huge, and everything feels urgent. Does that sound familiar?
What’s the antidote? The antidote to everything feeling urgent is NOT working harder or working more hours – that would be doing more of what’s not working: Do too much of that and you discover a neat vicious circle of ever decreasing energy, effectiveness and belief in yourself.
The antidote to everything feeling urgent is not working harder. What is it then? The antidote to everything feeling urgent is to do what’s most important. “Aha!” you say. “This is where you suggest that I prioritise and do the most important stuff first.”
Nope, that is indeed a sensible and common answer, but for most people it’s not the whole story either. After all, when one has custard for brains, it can be hard to see what’s most important, and even if it does come clear, one then handles the important thing in a frazzled, custardy state. Messy.
What’s important is not day to day stuff, it’s the reason why you do the day to day stuff and it’s what enables you to do the day to day stuff. Let’s focus on the enabling stuff today, and make it as simple and practical as possible. Do you know what helps you be at your best? Try these questions out:
- What sets you up for the day?
- What gets you thinking more clearly, more resourcefully?
- What helps you get perspective on a situation?
- What helps you feel more balanced, connected, grounded?
- What makes you smile?
If you make sure your days includes the Important Thing (or things) that you just named above, you will equip yourself to deal with the urgency, the pressure and the stuff you love that keeps you busy. Instead of struggling bravely on, you set yourself up to respond resourcefully.
But what often happens instead? There’s something more pressing, and your Important stuff is treated as if it was a luxury that can be dropped. Nooooooooo!!!!! How hard do you want to make your day?! Protect that important thing! Make it feel urgent if that helps, remind yourself how much you get from it, how much more you can give during your day if you do that Important Thing that takes care of your self.
Doing your Important Thing sets you up to succeed. It works as an instant pick-me-up, and it works even better as a habit: If you do your Important Thing every day (OK, most days), you start to improve the quality of your life and your balance.
You’ll know you’ve found your own Important Thing, when you notice your thoughts untangle, your worries either evaporate or become natural stuff that you can address, you easily make connections that help you, ideas and actions flow. It suddenly feels like there’s enough time for you to do what you need. Walking and gazing at mountains does this for me. What does it for you?
It’s your choice, and if you’re human it’s likely you will revert to thinking that urgent “doing” is more important than sorting out how you “are” some times. To be honest, I did that for a lot of this week and that’s what’s reminded me to write this blog (once I’d been out for a walk…)
So, treat your well being as the most important job. The rest is then much easier, and rather more fun too.
Good luck!
Related articles:
Work-Life Balance – Yes please! How?
Work… and life – More life in work-life please
The nature of balance – How do I create a balance?
How to use fear well – Getting unstuck
Inspiration for work-life balance – yep, does what it says on the tin
What’s most important to you? – How to make decisions more easily
Moving towards work-life balance – Respect for little steps
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