(While Still Getting Things Done)
For many of us, there can seem to be a more or less constantly ongoing struggle to strike the right balance between getting things done and managing stress levels, and avoiding a sense of overwhelming.
Today, there are all sorts of different services and tools available, including things like online pharmacies that offer everything from asthma, acne, headache, chlamydia treatment, and a variety of different apps that can help streamline life and create a bit more balance.
Ultimately, anyone who wants to enjoy an optimal level of personal well-being and balance in life should look for strategies to help them have a more Zen and streamlined experience while still allowing them to get things done.
So, without further ado, here are some suggestions that may help you enjoy a more Zen experience of everyday life while still getting things done.
Use a habit tracker and a one-day to-do list, and take things one step at a time
One area where people often get themselves into trouble and end up feeling overwhelmed regarding attempts at managing personal productivity is by keeping enormous and overly ambitious to-do lists.
The thing is, if you have a to-do list that includes hundreds of different items, stretching from today until several years in the future, it will likely be almost impossible for you to figure out what to do at any given moment. There’s a good chance that you’ll find yourself feeling so overwhelmed and demotivated by looking at that list that you’ll ignore it most of the time.
One great alternative is to bring your time horizon focus down a notch and to keep your eyes fixed primarily on the present moment, day by day.
One way to do this is to use a habit tracker and a short to-do list containing only tasks for today and focusing on getting the essentials done each day in the most manageable way possible.
Generally speaking, if you have the right habits in place and deal with your core obligations each day, you will naturally move in a positive direction and get things done without feeling overwhelmed as you likely would otherwise.
Find at least a few moments each day for periods of silence
Have you ever noticed that little voice in your mind that so often distracts and worries you with negative self-talk and ongoing chatter? And have you ever noticed that this same inner voice seems more and more noisy and restless when you’re feeling overwhelmed or when you have a constant stream of information coming at you from all sources?
Finding just a few moments each day for periods of silence, during which you aren’t talking to other people, aren’t watching TV, and aren’t reading Internet articles, can give your mind some much-needed space to calm down and settle a bit.
Whether you experience this kind of silence by going for a stroll in a park or by just relaxing in a cozy chair for a while, it can help reduce stress and give you a renewed sense of energy and clarity of mind afterward.
Wherever possible, aim to do one thing at a time without multitasking
Many people pride themselves on their ability to multitask, but psychologists have been saying for some time that multitasking is a bad idea.
For one thing, it appears to make people worse at each task they are engaging with, and it also appears to generate a significant amount of stress, frustration, and anxiety.
Wherever possible, aiming to do one thing at a time without multitasking can be a good way of experiencing a bit of “mindfulness” while simultaneously reducing your stress levels and helping you to reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed.
This is as true in a professional context as it is regarding just doing chores around the home. Working on calmly doing a single thing at a time may simultaneously add a more relaxed Zen quality to your day and help you be more productive.
Have a calming evening routine that helps you to relax and slow down as much as possible before going to bed
According to all sorts of leading experts on sleep, there is something of a sleep crisis underway across much of the world, with long working hours, electric lighting, poor sleep habits, and all sorts of other factors meaning that huge numbers of people just are not getting enough sleep each night – least of all enough restful sleep each night.
Establishing a calming evening routine for yourself that helps you relax and slow down as much as possible before going to bed is one thing that you can do to dramatically increase your chances of having a good night’s sleep and wake up feeling refreshed in the morning.
What’s more, if you can get more and better quality sleep, your mental clarity, energy levels, mood, and ability to perform as well as possible at a range of different tasks, will be significantly higher as a result.
In addition to helping you sleep, having a calming routine that you engage in each night can help the center and ground you and lower your overall stress levels.
Take up a creative pastime that helps you to get in touch with your more imaginative side
Taking a creative pastime – such as painting, macrame, or pottery – can not only have a very calming and beneficial effect in and of itself, but it can also go a long way in terms of helping you to get in touch with your more imaginative side.
Nurturing your connection to the imaginative and intuitive side of yourself can help to not only make you more creative and more insightful. Still, it can also potentially make you more effective when dealing with a range of different everyday tasks and situations.
