Stop Rushing – 5 Tips to a Slower Paced Life

“You cannot prove your worth by bylines and busyness.” – Katelyn S Bolds

Do you get the feeling that time is running away from you? Do thoughts of “I could’ve done more” or “I didn’t do enough” start to ruminate in your mind at the end of the day? These thoughts can keep you thinking you aren’t achieving your goals, or moving towards them fast enough. You may vow to “do more” tomorrow or next week and aim to be better organised. Before you know it the month has flown by much to your dismay. This sense of urgency lingers and time forever feels like it is running out. Why is it important for you to take on as much as you are? Why is it important to rush, an get things done quickly?

Stress and Time Pressure

A sense of “time pressure” is created when we feel that time is passing too fast and we don’t have “enough time” to do everything we need to do. This time pressure goes hand in hand with stress. The more stressed we are, the less likely we are to be focused and present in the moment—we’re just trying to get through the day as quickly as possible. When we do that, we don’t have time to take in our surroundings and build detailed memories. Therefore, our perception of time flies by. So if you don’t have enough time to do everything you need to do, then surely this is a key clue that you are creating unecessary stress by placing too much pressure on yourself to get everything done at once!

5 Tips to stop rushing

Let go of the need to constantly live a life that is rushed and fast paced, and start practising these tips for a slower-paced, more enjoyable life. 1. Do Less  Cut back on the amount you do each day. We tend to take on too much, leaving us unproductive and scattered. Focus on quantity, not quality. Write down the things you would like to get done, and then choose 1 to 3 important tasks you can achieve today. If you feel like you have to rush to get the tasks done, then you aren’t giving yourself enough time to complete and process them. Ask yourself is it absolutely 100% necessary that I get all of these tasks done today? If the answer is no (this is a telltale sign this pressure is self-imposed) –  next time reduce the amount. 2. Make a pact with yourself that if you don’t complete the task it is ok Guess what? There is always tomorrow to complete the rest of your tasks. It isn’t the end of the world if you don’t complete them all today. Aim to get done what you need to get done, but be gentle and okay with yourself when you don’t. Take a deep breath and give yourself permission to let go and relax. 3. Reduce your commitments I guarantee I am not the only one guilty of this. We over commit ourselves into doing too much and then we are hard on ourselves when we fall apart and can’t get it all done. Give yourself a break, you aren’t super woman! Scale back your commitments and focus on what really matters. Reduce your hobbies, social events and the extracurricular activities you get your kids to take on. By trying to cram more into our lives, we slowly deteriorate the quality we are experiencing in each and every moment. 4. Be mindful Mindfulness is based on being more present with your thoughts, feelings and actions. Set some cues for yourself throughout the day to practice being present. Every hour on the hour take a moment to pause, take some deep belly breaths and breathe out slowly for a count of 8. Get up and walk around the room, bring your attention to the sounds and what you can see around you, bringing your awareness back to the present. Notice how your heart is feeling – is it racing or beating fast? Give yourself 5 minutes to recharge and then get back into the day. 5. Do something really memorable As we move through life we can get stuck in the same tasks day in day out. We process the same information and therefore we don’t hold onto anything memorable because we aren’t experiencing anything new. This causes us to feel like time is slipping away from us. So instead do something out of the ordinary in your day to make it memorable. Make the effort to talk to someone you don’t know. Take a different route on your drive to work. Take a hulahoop to work and starting hulahooping on your lunch break! Change it up and you will find these are the moments you treasure and your perception of time will be slower and less rushed. After all life is made up of meaningful memories, not the amount of tasks you can check off your daily list! I hope you enjoyed these tips, feel free to share with me how you choose to slow down and put a stop to that incessant rushing by commenting below. [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]