Why do we so often feel like we're chasing time? As the days fly by, we never seem to get through this to do list stuck in our head. Our mind and body suffer the consequences: stress, altered sleep, bad mood, reduced efficiency... a real source of unhappiness for many of us. But how can we find a little serenity and balance on a daily basis? Here are some ideas to explore to (finally) change things this back to school.
Idea #1: get up earlier
"The future belongs to those who get up early". We owe this quote to the French writer Henry Gauthier-Villars. And if this was true in the 19th century, it is undoubtedly still the case in 2023! Several studies have shown that people who wake up early are more successful in achieving their long-term goals.
Do your workout, get ready quietly, sort your emails, read a few pages of a book. If you complete a few missions before setting off for work, your mind will immediately lighten up. If work-wise you are more of a morning person, take the opportunity to finalize the tasks you like the least in order to enjoy your pleasure activities at the end of the day. Ready to become Miracle Morning fans?
Idea #2: rethink your priorities
To stop getting scattered, you must first of all stop setting too many goals during the day. If you are a fan of to do lists, write down the tasks that you are obliged to accomplish at the top of the sheet and finish with the least important ones. Thus, you carry out the main missions as a priority and the others are seen as a bonus. Many of us think that once our list is finished, we will finally have pleasant time to devote to our pleasure activities. However, this is rarely the case. The list is the perfect opportunity to include moments that make you feel good: a coffee outside, an hour of yoga, a walk, a shopping session are also priorities to enjoy your days in a different way.
Idea #3: Make choices
Say goodbye to long, untenable lists that make you feel guilty every evening when they are not completely completed! Also group certain tasks together to increase productivity. For example, don't spread household chores out over the week, but rather devote 3 hours to them 100% to be truly effective. You also sometimes have to lower your expectations and be less hard on yourself. Eliminate what is not vital, without feeling remorse, to take full advantage of these few hours to yourself.
Idea #4: Become an organizational pro
Applications, notebooks, paper planners… Find the support that will best help you manage the organization of your daily objectives. Planning is the key to gaining productivity and therefore time for yourself. Establish routines, both at work and at home. This will allow you to move from one task to another without asking any questions.
Finally, turn your back on procrastination! All these moments lost during the day without being productive are time less for your pleasures. Turn off alerts on your phone, turn off social media during heavy work sessions, don't respond to that email that just came in before you finish what you're doing. Once you lose concentration, it is very difficult to get back into your task effectively.
Idea #5: dare to delegate
Whoever has the impression that you are never better served than by yourself, raise your hand?! But to breathe and not find yourself cornered on a daily basis, you have to learn to delegate certain tasks, both professionally and personally.
And above all, don't feel guilty! The days cannot be extended, you have to know how to pass the baton.
Idea #6: take stock regularly
What worked well this week? What, on the contrary, could be improved? Take the time (and yes!) to take stock with yourself every week or every month to define what is finally working like clockwork, and what can be improved. What tasks are still taking up too much of the time I want to give myself? How can we reduce the minutes or hours devoted to them? To increase productivity on negative points, set a time limit for completing them. Week after week, you will gain precious minutes favorable to your well-being.
