Life can get busy at times. That is normal. The problem is that many people’s lives are busy all the time. Their whole life is spent running from one thing to another. They are always tired and they are not experiencing true rest.
This is not the way to live life!
Sadly, a lot of times we don’t recognize that we are too busy and we just keep plugging along until it is too late. It is important that we learn to recognize the signs of being too busy before we reach the point of burnout.
7 signs that you are too busy
(taken from Brock Henry’s post “7 Signs That You’re Way Too Busy” on Lifehack)
1. You can’t remember the last time you took a day off.
Occasional periods of rest are not unproductive, they are essential to productivity. Extended periods of non-stop activity result in fatigue, and fatigue results in lower-quality output. As Sydney J. Harris once said, “The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”
2. Those closest to you have stopped asking for your time.
Why? They simply know that you have no time to give them. Your loved ones will be persistent for a long time, but once you reach the point where they’ve stopped asking, you’ve reached a dangerous level of busy.
3. Activities like eating are always done in tandem with other tasks.
If you constantly find yourself using meal times, car rides, etc. as times to catch up on email, phone calls, or calendar readjustments, it’s time to lighten the load. It’s one thing to use your time efficiently. It’s a whole different ballgame, though, when you have so little time that you can’t even focus on feeding yourself.
4. You’re consistently more tired when you get up in the morning than you are when you go to bed.
One of the surest signs of an overloaded schedule is morning fatigue. This is a good indication that you’ve not rested well during the night, which is a good sign that you’ve got way too much on your mind. If you’ve got some much to do that you can’t even shut your mind down when you’re laying in bed, you’re too busy.
5. The most exercise you get is sprinting from one commitment to the next.
It’s no longer opinion that exercise promotes healthy lives…it’s proven fact. If you don’t care about that, that’s one thing. If you’d like to exercise, though, but you just don’t have time for it, you’re too busy. If the closest thing you get to exercise is running from your office to your car because you’re late for your ninth appointment of the day, it’s time to slow down.
6. You dread getting up in the morning.
If your days are so crammed full that you literally dread even starting them, you’re too busy. A new day should hold at least a small level of refreshment and excitement. Scale back until you find that place again.
7. “Survival mode” is your only mode.
If you can’t remember what it feels like to be ahead of schedule, or at least “caught up”, you’re too busy.
Which signs are evident in your life right now?
Man, I’ve been in some of those patterns before. What a mess and so unnecessary! Busy doesn’t equate to productive or fulfilling. I’m so glad I don’t have to live there. Thanks Kevin.
It is so easy to fall into the “busyness” trap. It is time to get off the treadmill!
Thanks for sharing Jason!
I think we’ll are quite busy now a days and hardly get time for anything. That’s certainly a big mess which we deal with. That’s why we all say time management is necessary it helps you to complete your work within estimated time.
Time management is important but even with time management our lives can get too busy.
Thanks for sharing Pankaj!
I see 1, 3, 5, and sometime 4 in my life right now. At some point, I’ve experienced all of the above. Hmmmm. I guess I do need to lighten the load.
It is good to do an honest evaluation and make changes before the situation gets out of hand Julie.
Thanks for sharing!
I have been in such situations a few time and believe me it was just too much. It was really starting to affect my life. I then tried to lower the burden and it get better. I now only take up things as per what I can easily do. Thanks for sharing.
That is the best way to live Abishek!
Thanks for sharing.
Yikes, I’m too familiar with most of those above Kevin. Except #4 and #6, I do love getting up in the a.m. I really have to work on #3 though. Was about to do it right now. Good advice for folks on spending their time more wisely.
Thanks for sharing Lisa!