Staying Sane When You're Insanely Busy

I took an Instagram poll to see what posts you guys would like to read about, and without a doubt, the most asked for was time management. So here we are, me sitting down and writing out my absolutely insane schedule.

I get overwhelmed very easily, and sometimes it's really hard to get a breath in. A trick that truly has changed my life is alarms. I have probably a hundred alarms on my phone and I use them for everything. 6 pm? Time to study. 7:30? Time to take a break. I'm the type of person, that once I begin something, I can't stop. So it's very easy for me to spend an entire day focusing on something, and ignoring other tasks that I want or need to complete. By setting limits and expectations for myself, it makes it a lot easier to create a healthy balance.

Something else that I love is my daily plan. The night before I like to create myself a check list of the things that I want or need to accomplish the next day.  I get pretty specific from "clean the kitchen" to "post on Instagram" to "send invoices".  I like to prioritize and just give myself an idea of what type of day I'm going to have. I also love the satisfaction that I get from checking things off my list. You'd be surprised at just how satisfying it is to cross things off when you've finished them. You'd also be surprised how disappointing it is when you have a bunch of things left at the end of the night. Planning ahead really allows me to prioritize things, and not overbook myself. I tend to spread myself pretty thin, and this process really helps me to avoid that.

I've also learned to break things up. Want to accomplish four hours of studying? Don't do it all at once, it's easy to get burnt out and not take as much in. Study for an hour or two, then take a break to do something productive, for example making a meal, packing your lunch, tossing in a load of laundry. Set your alarm, and when it goes off take your break, while still being productive.

The most difficult thing for me to grasp is saying no. I'm a very busy person, and I'm overwhelmed a lot, yet I still take on more tasks and responsibilities from those around me because I am terrified of disappointing someone. Type A much? The thing is, in trying so hard to make everyone happy, I make myself miserable, I disappoint myself. It's all about balance. Sure, I'd love to help a friend paint their house, but am I willing to sacrifice the hours that could be spent studying for my next exam? If I end up doing poorly on the exam as a result, I will be disappointing myself, and while telling a friend no is hard, disappointing myself is a hell of a lot harder. Like I said, all about balance. You've got to be able to make yourself a priority before you can make friends one.

Alright, so:

• alarms
• daily plan
• check list
• taking breaks
• saying no
• balance

This really is one of my most commonly asked questions, and I hope this post is able to help someone out. Feel free to shoot me a message or comment below if you have any further questions. 

Cheers,

Lex