How to do a lot and not feel busy

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

In this article, we will share with you the story of Isaac Morehouse - a person who leads an active life, makes significant progress at work, and at the same time does not feel busy and tired. Perhaps his example will inspire you to change your own life.

I want to admit: I'm not a busy person.

Yes, at the same time I am a father of three children, I have my own business, I publish one podcast and 7-10 articles per week on my blog, I travel a lot, I speak publicly twice a month, I do sports every day, I add more to the list of books I read. one.

And despite all this, I have a lot of free time. I often play with my children. We spend weekends together, like going to the beach, and we have dinner together almost every day. I walk a lot, listen to and write music, watch movies and sports, pay attention to my wife and rarely sleep less than eight hours.

I almost always have time to talk to friends about serious philosophical topics, just chat about football and basketball, or help them with work reports. And with all this, I do not feel that I am constantly in a hurry somewhere or that deadlines are pressing on me from all sides.

And there is no magic in this, and I have no superpowers. My life hasn't always been so fulfilling, but there are several techniques through which I have learned to understand that I have a lot of time. I believe that my success directly depends on the way of thinking and living, and not on my specific skills and knowledge.

So here's what worked for me and hopefully will help you.

Be honest

It took me a very long time to admit that I hate feeling busy. From my teens to about 28, I was busy every hour of my life. I slept five to six hours a day, constantly torn between household chores, my own and work projects. I didn't have time to just walk and think. I couldn't find more than ten minutes a day to read.

I was proud of myself, because I was able to do so much. But the truth is, the more things you do, the more tasks you get. I wanted to be one of those people who live in a constant stream of business and never hesitate, that's why I began to lead this way of life. But that was not for me. After listening to myself, setting priorities, it became easier for me to move away from the image of an always busy person.

I know that there are people who like to live in a rapid movement, in an incessant stream of affairs and tasks. For example, my brother is such a person. I used to want to be like him, but I feel much happier when I realize that I am a completely different person. And it's better to be yourself than the shadow of other people.

If you like living the same things as my brother, then find more different life hacks that will help you live in conditions of continuous deadlines and manage to cope with all tasks. But if you are a person who does not like living in a stream of endless affairs, do not lie to yourself - just admit that you do not like it.

Finally, I admitted to myself: I hate being busy. I need a lot of free time. I need time to think, create, play. Being busy has the most negative impact on my quality of life.

Be honest with yourself, answer: do you like being busy forever or does it make you unhappy?

Find people who are better than you

I am competitive (some may add that even a little arrogant), and my inner voice often tells me that whatever I take on, I can do better than others and, of course, within a reasonable time frame. It can be great, it can be motivating, but it can be time-consuming. Trying to be the best at absolutely everything is a sure way to ruin.

In fact, I am not a professional in any field of activity and I stopped trying to be one. I do what I have to do, but I also try to find a way to delegate things whenever possible. I used to be proud of myself: I managed to do everything myself. But there was little joy in this, because I had only a few hours a week for a quiet life, when I didn't have to run somewhere headlong.

Delegating small tasks is inexpensive, so once I learned to pacify my pride, life became much easier.

Sometimes you don’t need money at all. There are people in your environment who will do some tasks much better and faster than you. Find them. Ask them. Work with them. Help them in something else.

Do not get down to business if you know that there is someone nearby who is ready to do it better than you.

Be a ruthless minimalist

I have a strict rule about mail: there are always zero new letters in it. Every letter - email or paper - I go through immediately. I'm looking for excuses so that I don't need to do low-priority tasks, not reasons why I should do them. I am taking action immediately. I pay the bills as soon as they come. I throw away unnecessary papers.

I take a photo of the check for a business lunch, then email the photo to myself, and then throw out the paper check and delete the photo from my phone - all before my lunch arrives.

Every few months, I get rid of old T-shirts, magazines, broken toys and other junk that has accumulated in the house. I believe that by slowly straightening out all of this now, I am saving myself a lot of time in the future.

I check my email and SMS all day, every day and even on weekends and holidays. Simply because now it only takes a few minutes, and then it can save hours that can be spent more productively.

I save time wherever possible. And it helps me out great when I need to devote myself entirely and completely to one important and big cause. I try to avoid meetings and phone calls if the case can be resolved with an email.

Never do what you don't want to do

My favorite word is no. It took me a long time to learn how to say no. I like helping people, I like to see them happy. But if you say yes to every cool idea, nod in response to any request, or rush to help with every project or event, then sooner or later you will realize that you have absolutely nothing to do and still feel guilty.

It's not cool to say yes when you know perfectly well that you can't handle what you are going to shoulder. I don’t argue that saying “no” is difficult, but later it will turn in your favor.

If you really want to give up something, just say no. Every day I ask myself if I want to do what I am offered. And if I find that I don't like something, I start looking for a way that will allow me to stop doing it.

It's amazing how much is mixed up in our lives: pressure from others, guilt, manipulation and other people's expectations. If you get above all this for a minute, then you will notice yourself real - a person with your own desires. It is hard work, and once you step down this path, you will have to say no many times. And no one promises that, having learned to refuse others, you will live a cloudless life in which there is no place for stress. But it will be easier for you.

Identify what you don't like, what poisons your life, and get rid of it. What remains in the end will be what is important to you.

Reach out to your subconscious

I think about work all the time. While I shower, before going to bed, during walks, while I'm in traffic jams, and in general, I think about work absolutely always and everywhere, unless, of course, I specifically forbid myself to do it. The advantage is that when I want to stop thinking about work, the hard part is over. It doesn't matter what it is: answering a letter, a presentation, a phone call, choosing a supplier, meeting with a colleague - by the time I made a decision, I was already tired of thinking about it and at the same time devoted a lot of time to these things.

The trick is that when you think about work while doing other things, work tasks are not your top priority, but that doesn't mean you can't come up with a great solution. On a subconscious level, you find exactly what you need.

Some people need to focus on work in order to think about work. But not for me. Having entrusted the solution of some issues to the subconscious and having waited a little, I deal with matters faster and better.

Do not hurry

If you like the rush, then keep up the good work. If you are not sure yet, then think about it and stop rushing. If you grab onto everything at once, then in the end you will get confused in business and in yourself.

No, of course, I do not recommend that you give up opportunities, and even more so I do not recommend using my advice as an excuse not to do difficult things for fear of failure. But, if you notice that you are mired in activities that you hate and that bring you nothing but stress and a sense of wasted time, start changing something.

Find ways to help you free up more time. Be ruthless about what you don't love. The future you will thank you for this.