All of us have busy lives; days jammed packed with work, family, cooking, friends, appointments, working out, etc. I was saying to a friend the other day that I don’t think I’ve ever been this busy; I’m working full time, studying, doing case studies, and writing 2 blogs. I recently started writing another blog called “Food for Life” for 2 great magazines that are published in Ottawa: Ottawa Family Living & Fifty-Five Plus. Some of the posts are similar to ‘the other big O’, but there is also new content geared towards their readers.
Personally, what helps me stay sane (most of the time) is to keep a list. I have a daily ‘to do’ list, and than an ‘on-going to do’ list that I will get to when I have free time. Lately, this “on-going” list has been going for a while because I don’t have a lot of free time, and it started to stress me out. This stupid list was burning a hole in my Blackberry calendar because none of it was ever getting done.
I read something recently that has really stuck with me: “procrastination increases pressure.” This is so true. When we set goals, or just have stuff that we want to do and it doesn’t get done; we feel pressure or stress. It can be something simple like wanting to read more, or a larger goal of losing weight or running a marathon. Small or large; if it’s something you want to do, but it just sits on a list and never gets done; it puts pressure on you, and can make you feel like you’ve failed, when you haven’t even started!
Over the last few weeks when I have something that I know is on my list, and I think about it – I make a point to do it. I first tried with a simple item; reading for enjoyment, and than something more challenging; working late one night a week. I started reading before bed instead of watching TV, and have set aside Wednesday nights to work late. It feels good – the pressure that was building up was instantly relieved when I just sat down and did what was on my list. I know, it seems like a simple concept, but sometimes we don’t realize the source of our stress until we think about it.
Do you have something you’ve been meaning to do lately, but haven’t for some reason? Are you feeling pressure or stress as a result of it not getting done? If so, take my advice (and Nike’s) and JUST DO IT.
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