6 Secrets to Feeling Less Busy (No Matter How Busy You Actually Are)

It’s easy to feel like your to-do list is never-ending. As women, we tend to overbook ourselves because we want to please people or we simply don’t want to turn an opportunity down. It's OK to be overachieving, if you are handling your busy-ness in the right way.

You can be as busy as long as you don't feel busy. That busy feeling just leads to stress – and to getting less done as you obsess over how busy you are. If you know how to schedule yourself and how to take a break every once in a while, you can get tons of stuff done without the stress. 

Here are a few tips for cutting down on the overwhelming feeling that comes with being a busy person. 

1. Accept that you won’t always be able to get everything done.

Balancing a career, a family, exercise, friendships, various hobbies, self-care, and much-needed relaxation comes at a price. You must accept that while you hope to get it all done, sometimes, you just can’t. And that’s OK. Be realistic with your time and your expectations. Don’t be too hard on yourself.  Feeling like everything needs to get done will lead you to rush, causing sensory overload and stressed, "oh my gosh I'm so busy" vibes. Just don't go there. 

2. Always give yourself extra time to complete a task.

Regardless of how long you think it will take you to do something, plan for it to take a little longer. Consider this additional time as a backup plan in case you get distracted or have to attend to an unexpected issue that can’t wait until later. This way, even if you “get behind,” you’ll complete your work. And scheduling more time for yourself will cause you to cut down on the tasks you take on, leading you to feel way less crammed for time and way less busy. More on this later.

3. Do things you actually enjoy.

We tend to feel overwhelmingly busy when we have a lot of things to do that we don’t enjoy. When was the last time you felt stressed out because you set aside an entire day to treat yourself? Exactly. While we probably always have to do work tasks that we don’t enjoy doing, try to break your day up by giving yourself a few tasks that you can look forward to (i.e. volunteering, spending time with your family, reading your book, etc.). This will not only brighten your mood, but will help your day go by faster and make your to-do list feel a lot less daunting. Plus, you'll feel like your day is meaningful rather than feeling like it's packed with busy work.

4. Limit your to-do list.

When you have five million items on your to-do list, it’s easy to get flustered and feel like you’ll never finish (because you probably won’t!). Try to make two separate to-do lists: one for today, and one for another day. Prioritize the activities you need to complete in the next 24 hours and don’t allow your mind to focus on all the things you need to do tomorrow. Focus only on the items you need to do right now.

5. Stop doing things you don’t actually have to do.

We all get into the habit of checking items off of other people’s to-do lists. While it’s great to do things for other people if you enjoy it and you have time, you don’t always have time. If you’re feeling too busy, let your husband, your children, your boss, or your coworkers complete their own tasks. For example, if you’re the only person who makes the coffee at work, let someone else do it for a change. Or if you’re always cleaning up after your kids, have them help you out. Don’t be afraid to delegate, whether you’re at work or at home.

6. Dedicate time to relaxation (and actually spend that time relaxing!).

 We tend to spend our dedicated relaxation time doing things that aren’t so relaxing. If you’ve scheduled an hour alone to yourself after dinner, don’t spend that time replying to emails or planning tomorrow’s itinerary or worrying about how busy you’ll be the following day. Spend that time doing exactly what you’re supposed to be doing: relaxing. If you’re crazy busy, give yourself an hour or two where you have absolutely nothing to do. That'll make you feel less busy quick as can be.