“To get all there is out of living, we must employ our time wisely, never being in too much of a hurry to stop and sip life, but never losing our sense of the enormous value of a minute.” – Robert Updegraff
My life is busy – not in a bad way, but my days are usually full of any number of activities and tasks. The challenge, for me, and possibly for you, is completing the day’s activities without hurry. Hurrying breeds agitation, anxiousness, impatience and exhaustion. Hurry takes away the joy. Below are a few ways I keep calm on busy days.
Get rid of the clutter. The definition of clutter is different for everyone. We have lots of pictures on our walls – some might say our walls look cluttered, but for me, they make the house feel warm and cozy. My definition of clutter is anything that clogs up your space and prevents a feeling of peace or calm. For me, that translates to overstuffed closets and drawers, cluttered countertops and endless piles of papers. For years I would clean and tidy up the house before getting started on the day’s tasks. As a result, I spent most of my time cleaning and had to rush through the activities where I’d hoped to spend the most time. Without the clutter, I get started on my daily tasks right away and there’s no need for hurrying. If you’re feeling hurried often, start by eliminating some clutter each day. Decluttering may help many other things more easily fall into place.
Create breathing space between activities. Just as it’s helpful to create open space in your physical surroundings, it’s also beneficial to create open space in your schedule. Once a task is complete, take 5 minutes to sit, rest and take a breath. Savor the moment! Look out the window and take in a bit of nature, walk outside and breathe in the fresh air, enjoy a cup of tea, meditate, stretch or listen to music. Once you’ve had a chance to breathe, then ease into the next task on your list – without hurry.
Be mindful of hurried feelings. Be aware when you do hurry and make a choice to step back and reassess. On a recent trip to Target I had one of those moments to “reassess”. I was anxious to check out and return home, but only two lanes were open and everyone in line had numerous items. I found myself getting annoyed that the cashier was so chatty, surely this was slowing things up and then I heard a “yes” to the “would you like to open a Target card and save 5%”. At that point I felt my blood pressure rising and impatience growing – then I told myself to stop, take a breath and reevaluate. What seemed like an extra 30 minutes of waiting, was maybe 5 minutes – the cashier was simply being friendly and the woman ahead of me was not attempting to “slow me up”. The second I recognized this, my patience returned and I felt calmer. As I continued to wait, I scanned the covers of all the magazines next to me and came up with another blog post idea. It was a win-win! After everything was completed the woman turned to me and said “I’m sorry if I held you up”. I kindly replied that it is was no problem. This response felt so much better than the impatience and hurry I had felt just a few moments earlier. I left the store with a smile. When you’re feeling rushed, reassess, not only is it kinder to you, but also to others.
Prioritize and limit your daily “To-Do” list”. I could fill an entire notebook of things I hope to accomplish in life, but I constantly remind myself I can’t accomplish everything in one day. I limit my daily “to-do” list by prioritizing what must be completed that day. Those items are written on the list first. If there’s still space left, I may add a few other odds and ends I’d like to finish, but will move them to the next day if needed. Resist the urge to accomplish everything in a short amount of time. Prioritize and do a few items each day to prevent rushing through tasks. You will get more done, do better work and be calmer.
Seek out joy in the process. The winters are cold where I live, as in below zero cold on some days. Regardless of the temperatures, I still need to bundle up and take our dogs outside. As they leisurely wander around smelling every inch of cold, hard snow, I find myself becoming the “hurrier”. “Come on, hurry up, it’s cold!” The more I hurry others (even the dogs), the more agitated and anxious I become. Just a few mornings ago I was about to take on my “hurrier” role, when I was distracted by a new bird sound. I looked up to see a red headed woodpecker high in a tree. Now instead of hurrying the dogs along, I was enjoying this beautiful piece of nature – even on a frigid morning. While I’m not suggesting everyone needs to embrace sub-zero temperatures, it is beneficial to seek out or create something positive in any given task. When I write, I write with pens I love – even when writing bills or working on the budget. Whatever you do, find a small piece of joy or beauty in it and you will enjoy the process and lessen the need to hurry yourself or others through.
As I stated in the opening, my life is busy. I’ve learned, however, if I can prevent hurrying the day’s activities along, I can stay calm and feel a sense of fullness at the end of the day, rather than of overwhelming exhaustion. My hope is that some these suggestions may help you discover more calm and joyful moments, even on busy days.
I’m right with you, especially on the “checkout line” one. I try to remind myself that what feelsl ike an eternity with the slowest checkout person in the world is only 5-10 minutes and won’t make a big difference in my schedule. I also remind myself when I’m feeling “short” with the slow checkout person that they’re a person and they may be having a bad day. That turns my mood around and and helps me remember to be kind, and not let the small things irritate me.