Last week I inadvertently over-booked myself. Besides my regular work load of blog posting, course teaching, content creation, clients, and the 5 teenagers in the house, I also had 2 birthday parties, 1 anniversary, 1 marketing meeting, 1 scheduled talk with book signing, and 1 teleconference. All to be followed up by 3 days of a surprise vacation getaway for Thad and my 3rd wedding anniversary. It was a challenging week for sure, and I would LOVE to say that I handled it all with perfect grace, but alas, my human side kicked in and I allowed myself to feel overwhelmed for a few tense moments. Thank goodness I was able to put it all into perspective, detach from outcomes, and decided to just give it my best! And happily it all worked out. The best part, I took away some knowledge in surviving chaos!
The 5 lessons I learned from over-booking myself:
1 A life lived frantically is no fun:
I truly do not know how people maintain a frantic pace for long periods of time. Running here and there, always trying to reach that next goal or milestone, and feeling like life is a marathon. Living frantically like that makes you miss the little things, the finer moments, and the people we care about. Living frantically means doing more but living less. Our life is about our relationships, but how could we possibly enjoy them if we don’t stop and make time to cultivate them? Step away from the next project for a while and spend some time with the people you love.
2 Just because you scheduled it, doesn’t mean you have to do it:
Being someone who is hell bent on always being “loyal and reliable,” I am not the type of person to back out of a commitment. However…. there are times when have to just apologize and excuse yourself from something you said you would do. It’s OK, people will forgive you! Most importantly, forgive yourself! We have all bitten off more than we could chew at some point. Admit that you are overwhelmed, or need help, and move on.
3 If you have to “schedule” sleep, you are doing too much:
Sleep, relaxation, eating, and personal wellness should never need to be on the schedule in order to be prioritized. These are things that should be done daily, without having to work them in to your schedule. Create a routine around them if you have to, but don’t skip them because you didn’t schedule them. You are absolutely nothing without your own wellness, take care of you, so you can take care of all the other “stuff!”
4 When you absolutely cannot slow down….. SLOW DOWN!
If you can’t, then you must. I didn’t say you have to stop, just slow down. If you are driving your car faster, and faster, and faster…. you will eventually either get stopped and ticketed, or you will run out of gas, or even worse, cause an accident. Your best work is not done while barreling through life at 100 miles per hour. Slow down, take a breath, enjoy the view, then move on.
5 Give yourself something to look forward to:
This past week was hard, but I am really grateful for the anniversary getaway at the end of it all. If you don’t give yourself something to look forward to, then it hardly seems worth it all. How many times have you set a new goal after reaching the last one without any celebration between the two? Give yourself something to look forward to by HONORING yourself and your accomplishment!
I hope you are avoiding chaos, but when you absolutely have to participate in it, at least be sure you can survive and come out on the other side to Live Inspired Now!
Heather Paris inspires people all over the world to create happier lives through talks, workshops, blog posts, and her book, Live Inspired Now; A Field Guide For Happiness. For more information about transforming your relationship, family, or your life, contact Heather today!
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John Page Burton
June 18, 2014
Great message Heather! It reminded me of the thought that when the plane is going down we must first put on our oxygen mask in order to be of service to anyone else.We can’t serve anyone if we are burned out, frustrated and out of balance. Cheers to balance! John
Elise Cohen Ho
June 18, 2014
Thank you for sharing the great lessons that you have learned from over booking yourself. This is quite a gift that you have given to anyone reading. I love your transparency.
Heather Paris
June 18, 2014
Thank you! 🙂
Leonaura Rhodes
June 18, 2014
Heather you are mirroring my life right now: too much going on! OVERWHELMING! Great post thank you! My addition would be that when you are very busy obsessive scheduling and list-making can help focus the mind, it’s so easy at these times to forget something really important! Personally I am looking forward to chilling out on a plane this weekend! Take care!