Breaking out the the busy trap — life hack edition
Right around Thanksgiving I banged out one of my weekly blog posts on breaking out of the busy trap and moved on quickly to other things (like leftovers). I can’t stop thinking about this topic! So this week I’m revisiting it, this time exploring practical tips and life hacks on how I have tried to claw my way out of “crazytime.”
1) Block your calendar. At the beginning of each week, look at your calendar, particularly 2-4 weeks out to block chunks of time. I usually have 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon. The intention of this time is to read, research, work, whatever I need to do uninterrupted. I do not answer my phone or return calls or look at emails (that is a separate time block).
2) Maintain Your Family/Personal Calendar. We’re a mixed family— and by that I mean mixed tech ecosystems: at work behind a firewall with Microsoft; at home I use google calendar. My phone wants me to use Apple calendar (which I try to circumnavigate). Kids don’t really have devices with calendars yet. But school and activities sure do have lots to keep track of. Jon’s got his own setup. I’ve learned to put everything family related in my google calendar and invite Jon and my work calendar. The result is I have a better sense of what’s happening. Paper doesn’t do it for me. If it’s not in my calendar chances are I will fully skip it. Find a system and anything that comes your way that you commit to—add it to the calendar.
3) Set and Communicate Priorities. One of the challenges of breaking out of “things are crazy mindset” is you are no doubt fabulous and in demand and possibly a people pleaser. Be clear about what matters most. In our family we don’t sign up for tons of after school activities or activities in general. We have 1 major thing the kids do and then leave time every weekend for relaxing and chilling. For many people they will think this is crazy. Afterall, your kids have a TON of interests and isn’t good parenting about giving them every opportunity to try everything? For me the answer is meh. Sure they are involved in things, but we make them pick 1 or 2, commit to it, and then have time to actually live. We have unstructured time on the weekends. It’s glorious. You should try it. It can happen at the office too! At work we pick the few core things that are important and put our muscle into providing impact and value. We’ll get to the other things, just at a different timeline.
4) Say no (nicely). Be ruthless (but kind) about saying no to meetings. If someone from your team is going and can cover, let your colleague know they are on point and then politely decline and explain to the meeting host. Follow up as needed. Same goes for school events. Obviously go when you can, but share the load when you possible. I have made a point of looking at my schedule each week and then culling what I don’t need to attend. Then for the things I do attend, I have put in the time to be present and prepared.
5) Meditate. I will admit I don’t have a ton of sit still and do nothing in me, but I can muster 5 minutes everyday and I do. I put on a timer, don my earphones, and listen to relaxing music while thinking about what I am grateful for. Every single day. I know people who can do it for lots more time and I say good for them. If you are one of those people then definitely do it. But if you are like me grab 5 minutes and don’t give it back. It hits a reset button in my brain so I shift from running to being. You’re welcome.
6) Make time to learn. This past week I have been preparing for year-end with some big programs hitting. I arguably could sit in my seat for 12 hours each day producing work. But the reality is doing so makes me stupid, which makes what I produce unusable. I make time EVERYDAY for some kind of learning. On my commute I listen to a podcast, even for 15 minutes. Or I make a point to speak with a new person for a call or coffee to pick their brain. I might read an article while my kids do their homework. The point is, those 15 or 60 minutes I spend each day fuel my productivity, and keep me from feeling trapped by my to-do list. Speaking of being trapped, here’s my last life-hack….
7) Laundry. The sad truth is one of the main reasons why most of us are crazed is because we have to do the big heady stuff while maintaining our lives. And the everyday stuff is a ton of work!!!! My whole life at home is either spent loading and unloading the dishwasher or doing laundry and folding/putting away. There’s also the endless mail and piles of stuff that kids drop when coming home from school. And if you walked in my house at this moment you’d think a tornado of unopened mail and kids shoes hit the inside! So yes laundry needs a life hack. I have given my kids 2 bins each with their names on it. One marked clean and one marked dirty. Dirty laundry gets hauled to the washing machine and washed and dried. Then their clean laundry is placed in their completed “clean” laundry bin. Huge time saver not sorting their socks and such. It’s already divided. Then I generally help them fold and put away clean clothes because I’m awesome and also completely neurotic about these things.
My list of life hacks all center around being clear on what’s coming, prioritizing, saying no, making time to nourish yourself, and trying to get through the chores as efficiently as possible. Part of breaking out the busy trap is taking control of your time, but also getting to a centered, balanced mindset. I hope some of these suggestions spark your own set of changes that will help you through the holidays and beyond! Cheers everyone!
