Humans are habitual creatures. We fall into habits and routines to help us get through the day, but after awhile, some of those habits might become unnecessary, and can cause us to constantly feel busy or overwhelmed. Every few months, it's worth stepping back and taking inventory to break out of the cycle of busyness.Jessica Latham at Tiny Buddha worked hard all day, every day for years, and eventually suffered a neck injury due to stress and lack of rest. During her recovery, she asked herself three questions to find a healthier routine:First, ask: What am I doing in the day that does not serve me? Do I need to spend three hours every weekend cleaning the house or can my family divide, conquer, and clean in only one hour?Once you've asked yourself these questions, Jessica offers up five suggestions to help you act on them, and break away from being unnecessarily busy. For example, you could look at your life from someone else's perspective, and try to identify what you're doing throughout the day that doesn't make sense anymore. Be sure to check out the source link for more suggestions.5 Tiny Steps to Move Away from Unnecessary Busyness | Tiny BuddhaPhoto by Steve Cuckrov (Shutterstock).Do I need to spend two hours each day updating my social media status or can I update my profile once a week? What am I willing to sacrifice for internal sanity and calm?
Second, ask: Why do I do all that I do? You might be shocked to see that you cling to a number of superfluous tasks for money, pride, power, or recognition.
Third, ask: What would happen if I stopped doing this? Clearly, if you abruptly quit your job you might face immense challenges. Maybe start by identifying something small to erase from your over-packed day.
Be as specific as writing down each hour in your day to see where you spend most of your time and what you can remove from your day. You might surprise yourself when you see how much television you watch or how much time you spend driving around to do errands.
