I can’t believe it’s already April. Daylight savings has ended and I feel like I’ve wasted plenty of time.
As I wait for work to roll in I’m reminded that there is only 9 days until my trip to Japan with my sisters. Nervousness and excitement drowns us every time we bring it up in discussion. I still need to delete photos off of my phone, sort out which clothes to take and make a list of sure things I want to purchase on my trip. These are just a handful of things that I need to start ticking of off my list to make sure I leave NZ feeling complete.
When we become busy with work, school or other commitments we start to lose time. Especially when all we can think about is deadlines of whatever we are busy with. Being someone who is slightly obsessed with schedules and calendars I find it something that I’m constantly thinking about when I catch myself staring at a blank wall calculating which days to do whatever I have planned. I feel as though there isn’t enough time in a day which is a reason for my sleep problems in the past.
Even with the list of things to do before I leave NZ, my post-Japan list grows too. Upload images of all of my pre-used items to sell, open a travel account for my trip to Seoul (which is significantly longer than the Tokyo trip), calculate savings, prepare gear for upcoming freelance work I have planned in May and so much more.
How do we keep ourselves sane when we can become insane from all this planning and fretting over what to get done next?
- Make lists in order of what needs to be completed first. Start ticking them off by getting a few done a day.
- Set yourself reminders to get things done. That way they won’t accumulate. This can be by email, phone reminder or just by using post-it notes.
- Give yourself small rewards for finishing tasks. Especially the bigger ones or the ones that have been keeping you up all night.
- Make sure you keep yourself well fed and well hydrated. You can start to burn out if you have a lot of things to do. This will keep you energized and make sure you have the nutrition you need. Inherited by my mum, I often forget to eat when I find myself busy doing work. This really isn’t good for you even if you do get all your work done, especially if you leave with a giant headache.
- Ask for help on something that might be hard for you do. Sometimes we can be hard on ourselves and expect big things. Some tasks require a bit of help whether this come in the form of family, friends or co-workers/peers.
- Always make sure to have time away for yourself. Constantly working hard will only hinder your performance. Set time aside so that you have a decent amount of rest ratio for the amount of work or tasks you’re doing. A small rest can give you lots of energy and encourage you to finish your list.
- Talk to someone about the work you need done. It annoys my sister, but I have to say my list of work to be done out loud especially to someone else. She complains every time I do it but it’s something I have to do to ensure I’ll do the work. You don’t have to do this but you can just chat to someone who you enjoy talking to and explain to them what work you need done. Often times this can take a bit of weight off of your shoulder.
Lastly, do not procrastinate. This will only make things much harder for you to complete what you need to be done. A group of friends of mine during my study days called themselves “The Procrastinators” because they would wait last minute to complete their assignments or would change the idea of their assignment the day before hand-in. You can get work done this way but stress also comes with the procrastination.
What do you do to make sure you get your tasks done?
Milktea and Talk. 