8 Ways To Survive And Thrive When Things Get Busy
“Busy is a drug that a lot of people are addicted to.” Rob Bell
Our family is in the middle of a very busy week. We have activities every night this week. And work is just as busy. We’re closing out the month of January this week, so I’m chasing down invoices, time sheets, and project close out activities. It’s weeks like this that cause my head to spin.
If you’re anything like me, you have weeks like this too.
What do you do when the weeks get crazy busy?
I’ve found several things that help me survive and thrive when the weeks get crazy busy. Here are my suggestions.
8 Ways To Survive And Thrive When Things Get Busy
- Start each day with prayer and time with God. This is where it has to start. Even if you can spend 15 to 30 minutes of quiet time at the start of your day, it will be worth it. This is the time to focus your day in the right place. When I jump right out of bed and into the fray without spending time to pray, read God’s word, and reflect, it often feels like I’m wheel spinning out of balance.
- Find ways to exercise regularly throughout the week. For me, this is the next part of my day. Even when I’m busy, I try to exercise 5 or 6 days a week. Raising your heart rate for 20-30 minutes through running, hiking, biking, swimming, or brisk walking can make a huge difference. I’ve found that regular exercise helps to get my metabolism off and running, and it helps me stay alert through meetings and conversations when I really need to pay attention.
- Make the most of the small moments in between. It can seem really hectic when you’re running from one meeting to the next or one activity to the next. Being intentional in the in between is important to getting things done. Last night when I arrived home from work, I had a few minutes before dinner. I used this time to replace a flood light above our garage. It took me a few minutes to get the extension ladder, and I another minute to climb up the ladder to replace the bulb. This is a task that needed to be accomplished. Those precious minutes before dinner were provided just enough time to check this off my list of things to do.
- Connect with your family. This probably should be number 2 on the list. If you’re married, pray with your spouse at the beginning and at the end of the day. Connect when you both get home from work for a few minutes. I don’t always get this right, but it’s important to remove distractions for a few minutes to give your spouse or kids your undivided attention. For your kids, it might mean playing a game of ping-pong before you leave for an activity or before they start the next part of their homework. Connecting with your family is a huge part of finding balance in the midst of a crazy busy week.
- Don’t be afraid to say no. I realize we’ve all made commitments to be part of one meeting or an activity. There may be times where we have to cancel something or postpone it, so we can take time to catch our breath. It will be okay. Really!
- Remember why you are involved with the activities or meetings in the first place. When things get busy, it’s easy to lose sight of why we do what we do. This can happen at work, but it can also happen at the evening game or meeting.
- Learn from your scheduling mistakes. Sometimes a busy week is impossible to avoid, but there are also times when we simply don’t schedule ourselves very well. Build gaps into your schedule. You need breaks. You need opportunities to catch up on the little things.
- Practice sabbath. Take a one minute break every hour. Take an hour break every day. Take a day break every week. You need time to rest, to connect, and to be restored.
It’s only Tuesday, I’m not sure exactly how the rest of my week will go. But I do know that following these simple tips will help me though my crazy busy week.
What kind of week are you having? What helps your survive when the days and weeks get crazy busy?