Are You Too Busy To Enjoy Life?
It’s true – people are much busier these days than they were decades ago. It seems like everybody is in a rush to earn a living, level up their career, and achieve all of their dreams as if there’s no better time to do it than today. That is, they are too busy to have a life and enjoy it. If you find yourself juggling with the demands of your job and your personal life, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Thousands of people out there experience the same.
How do people in Britain apportion time for their daily activities? On average, a working dad spends over 5 hours a day at work, gets less than 8 hours of sleep each night, and does more than three hours of household chores every day. A typical working mum, on the other hand, gets 40 minutes less sleep than an average full-time mum who gets more than 9 hours of sleep. Well, that’s because she needs to get up earlier to travel to work and do some chores before going to bed. Worse, most working parents only get to spend an average of 19 minutes each day looking after their children! That’s according to the study by the Office for National Statistics. They also found that on average, people spend 8.3 hours sleeping, 2.4 hours watching TV, and 3.5 hours working.
Too busy to enjoy life
Many people live a ‘good’ life but they are too busy to enjoy it. It is as if they are in a rush to finish one activity after another without gaining pleasure or happiness at all. Rather, they only experience stress, fatigue and boredom. It’s strange to think that we are free to choose how we can structure our day but then, many of us find themselves stuck in stressful activities that never end.
So why do we do all the things we do each day? How necessary they are? Perhaps, some people are even too busy to ask this. But what would your answer be if you are asked to answer this question?
We often fool ourselves into believing that we don’t have enough time to do all the things we want to do. But time is not the problem, don’t you think? It’s probably the habits we’ve formed, our priorities, and most of all – our purpose in life. Vast studies have shown that people who understand their purpose feel happier and more fulfilled than those who do not.
And even if we don’t have control over the hours, we most probably have control of our decisions and how we are going to make life enjoyable. Learning to focus on things we can control can greatly contribute to happiness.
To bring joy to each day and balance your daily routine, here are some strategies that might work for you:
Schedule a ‘me’ time. When planning your activities for the week or for the day, make it a point to schedule time with your family, friends and activities that help you relax and recharge your batteries. Maybe you can arrange a weekend getaway with your kids or with your spouse or partner. When you have something enjoyable to look forward to, you feel more motivated to effectively manage your work schedule and accomplish important tasks on time.
Wake up early. Many people get up in the morning, shower and head straight to work. But over time, this routine becomes boring and exhausting. You can allocate a few hours for yourself, for your spouse and for your kids before going to work if you wake up early. If you usually wake up by 7 am to prepare for work at 8, try waking up at 5 or 6 am. This way, you get to enjoy your usual cup of coffee and spend quality time with your family.
Consider outsourcing tasks. Is it possible to hire someone to mow the lawn and repair those leaky faucets? Can you just shop groceries online and have them delivered right at your door? Most errands may appear easy to do but often, they take a lot of our time.
Skip time-and-energy sapping activities. Try to lessen activities that do not enhance your career or personal life. You really don’t have to deprive yourself of these things. But you can allocate time for them so your daily activities won’t get messed up. For example, instead of spending a few minutes several times a day on Facebook and other social media sites, give yourself an hour every week (probably on a weekend).
Get moving. For most people, exercising is the least priority in a fully loaded working day. But exercising can actually help you do more by raising your energy levels and enhancing your ability to concentrate. At least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activities daily can do a big difference on your performance!
Develop good, healthy habits. It may be difficult at first but once you get used to it, you can enjoy life just the way you want it to be. Start by employing little positive changes one at a time, such as sleeping an hour earlier tonight than your usual bedtime schedule, doing an enjoyable activity before going to sleep, reducing your screen time by an hour, taking a 10-minute stroll every morning, or choosing fruits for snack. Healthy habits improve your well-being and make you less likely to feel stressed – two important things needed to live a good life and enjoy it!
How do you cope with the demands of your work and personal responsibilities? What are the simple habits you do each day to keep the balance in your work and personal life? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Post your comment below.
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