Feel like you are drowning? 
Can’t quite get ahead in your day? Week? Month? That feeling can come, of course, from the very real fact that we have too many critical or important things going on that we feel we need to attend to. There are a few things to try to keep in mind. The first is the idea that whatever is commanding our attention are “critical” or “important”. Often times, in order to motivate ourselves we elevate an item’s importance in our mind so that we do not lose track of it and hopefully get it done. This can be an effective strategy until we run into other items that are more important by comparison. Unless we re-evaluate and re-prioritize in light of these other considerations, we have a number of different issues that are all elevated to the same level of importance even though they may not actually all have the same value in comparison to each other.
The second is the idea that we “need” to attend to certain things. Many times what we need to do, what we feel we “should”, and what we want to do are in conflict. Again, we tend to elevate things to the category of “need” in order to motivate ourselves to get them done.
So what can we do? First, try to prioritize. What are things I need vs want vs “should” get done. Pay special attention to the “should” category as that is the area that tends to pile on the most guilt and shame if we don’t get them done. Try to re-categorize things as either “need” or “want”. Look at how many things make the need list. Is that an accurate list? What are the consequences if they are not done? Looking at the consequences if they are not done will hopefully help to sort out any wants that may have snuck onto the need list as well as help to prioritize.
Next….much of our busyness is a product of our culture. To further adjust perspective try adjusting your routine – often times 10 minutes of quiet at the beginning, end, or middle of the day can make a huge difference in how your day feels. For me, if my morning feels rushed that is usually a death knell for the rest of my day. I try to get up before the rest of the house in order to have some peace and serenity for my day. I have taken to blocking off some time Monday morning to prioritize the week with the question: “If I get nothing else done this week, what do I need to make sure I accomplish?” This has been helpful in keeping my eyes on those areas that I need to keep my focus on.
Finally – after all of that if you continue to run into demands on your time and continue to prioritize to make sure that you are spending your time on those things that are most important – work towards acceptance. That busyness is often times an inescapable part of our lives because of the nature of our culture and the times that we live in. We do have a choice, but it would require some drastic changes with some pretty high price tags. So, with wanting our children to be involved in activities and school, full time jobs, and relationships to attend to life is busy. And that’s OK. That does not mean we have to be crazy and doesn’t mean we have to be driven by the busyness but it does mean we want to be especially aware of how to appreciate life despite the busyness.