9 Ways To Know You're Too Busy

One thing I hear from different people every day is how busy they are and how they don’t even have time for themselves. Well, that used to be me. Between school, work, my sorority, and social life, I never took any time to reflect on my own. Even though I was keeping my individuality, time was limited and I never took any to reflect on any of my experiences. Now that I have more free time, I have started to take time to reflect on the moments that guided me to where I am today but there is no doubt that some meaning has been lost in the process. I had to sit down and evaluate everything to see if it was all worth it. Having free time does not mean stagnancy or unproductivity. It opens up more doors to creativity and ideas that can help you progress in life. It gives you a chance to breath and not stress out about minute things that seem gigantic at the time. It’s the new pathway self-independence and freedom. Sometimes, you may not even know you’re too busy but here are a few ways to know that you are and how you can fix it:

Photo by Moyan_Brenn_BE_BACK_on_10th_OCT via Flickr.com

1. You eat out everyday and never have time to cook.
Not only is this not healthy, it’s expensive. If there is no way around cooking food during the day, try eating a simple breakfast, taking healthy snacks on-the-go, and cooking or buying a healthy dinner at night. This way you’re not eating in bulk at random times and you get to save some money. Buy enough snacks for a prolonged period of time; wholesale stores are a great investment for a busy life. You will not have to go back to the store as frequently for items that don’t perish as often.

2. Your calendar is booked for the next two months.
Face it, as humans we need time to breath. You will eventually crash if you go non-stop for prolonged periods of time. And if you’re stretching yourself too thin there is no way to perform your best in all these different areas. Start prioritizing. Everything can’t be as important or as necessary. When you focus in one area of your life, you have the chance to excel versus being average in multiple areas. Don’t just become a resume builder; go above and beyond in what you’re great in. Use your talents and let them guide you to becoming the best version of you. This will help you and those around you.

3. You have no room for spontaneity.
It’s okay to relax sometimes and get a change of environment. If you get a great opportunity out of nowhere, just because something was planned before does not mean that you should automatically refuse to do something new. You will have plenty of choices to make in life; make the choices that will be beneficial to your well-being and the joy of those around you. You may have a goal, but the journey will always be different. The only thing that you know for sure is the past. Live in the present and enjoy your life while still thinking about any consequences. So what if you can’t make a meeting. Most of the time you’re not getting paid as a college student for all the meetings on your schedule. Your biggest opportunity yet, may be waiting at the new event that you just found out about.

4. You have not seen your closest friends and family in months.
It’s understandable that you want to focus on your career before everything else but let’s face it: friends and family are important. They’re here to celebrate your greatest accomplishments and they’re here when you are going through your toughest times. If you ignore these relationships while chasing your dreams, there is no guarantee that they will be waiting for you when/if your dream becomes a reality. Don’t burn bridges trying to get on top of the world. Just a few text messages once in a while can work if you’re too busy to call and check up on them. Whenever someone crosses your mind, go ahead and text them. You make time for what’s important to you so if your career is more important than your friends and family then by all means, just focus on that!

5. Your room is a mess but you’re usually a clean person.
This is a perfect example of how a busy life can hinder your creativity, true personality, and preferred lifestyle. If you have no time to clean when it’s important to you, your room will serve as reminder that your life is not where you want it to be. You will need to take time to do the things that are important to you. Take out a few weekly hours to clean and form a habit in order to prioritize the things that are important to you. Some things are just not worth sacrificing for your well-being.

6. TV… What’s that?
I remember how awkward it was my freshman year of college when people were talking about TV shows and I just could not relate. TV may be distracting from school so sometimes it’s a good thing to miss. If you don’t have any time to watch at least one hour of television a week when you have one readily available, that may be a sign that you are too busy. This does not mean that TV needs to become part of your life again but it may help you realize that you need to take some time out for yourself.

7. You don’t know what’s going on outside of town, let alone in the world.
Had no clue the elections were going on? Do you even know who the new President of the United States of America is? Or what’s been going on with the genocide in Syria? If you responded no to any of the previous questions, you have been living in a bubble that needs to be popped soon. Unless you’re studying for a major exam, have a thesis or dissertation to present or taking some time off for research, you should not be self-exiled from the outside world. Take five minutes everyday to find out what’s going on by watching the news on TV or reading it online. Stay current with your community and the world. If you’re not current now, by the time you find some crucial information about something you care deeply about, it may be too late to fix the damages.

8. Your hobbies have taken the back burner.
Your hobbies help you develop your creativity and talents. If you don’t take time to enhance them because of your busy schedule, little by little you will be enclosing pieces of you in a vault that will be hard to re-open. Take time to let your creativity flow. Your talents will open many doors for you; if you left them in high school, it’s still not too late to start working back on them.

9. Sleep has become a luxury.
Sleep is a necessity, not a luxury. You need it to function properly. If you stay up all night doing work, you will pay for it the next day by not performing to your best ability. You will be pushing through for the moment being, but when it comes time to pay attention in class, your lack of sleep will come back to haunt you. Not sleeping will also disturb your health. Do your best to get at least six hours of sleep a day for your well-being. It will only help you in the end and it’s not something worth sacrificing unless you see the silver lining at the end of the tunnel.

You’re in control of your life. It’s up to you to be as relaxed as possible while still being productive. You don’t want to look back at your hard journey through college and only think about how stressed you were. I’ve heard too many people look back on college as the best years of their life. Don’t take yours for granted!