We are all guilty of taking on too much responsibility and then having to deal with the overwhelming stress that comes along with it. I am consistently guilty of biting off more than I can chew which makes it extremely hard for me to make sure I take care of myself and get the down time I need. Between school, my part time job as a peer advisor, my internship, trying to make sure I have a job lined up for after I graduate, my boyfriend, family, and friends, I barely have enough time at the end of the day to stop and breath. I give all that I do 110 percent because I feel as though that’s the only way to live.
But how do you make sure you aren’t overdoing it? How do you make sure you get “you time” while you are juggling the stresses of life? Here are four questions to ask yourself when you are about to take on something new, be it a project, a responsibility, or a relationship, to help you make sure that you aren’t biting off more than you can chew.
1. Will this have an effect on my life in the long run? If what you are considering taking on won’t significantly impact your life in the future, it’s best to let it go. However, if what you are considering taking on will affect your future (for example taking on an internship at a company you hope to work for or committing to a guy you are crazy about), chances are you should take on the responsibility because it could have a positive effect on your life in the future.
2. Am I prioritizing correctly? Identify what your priorities are and choose what you decide to take on accordingly. If you have a huge deadline to meet at work and your friend wants to go get drinks while you were planning on staying at the office to meet your deadline, stay at the office. Drinks can wait. Deadlines (and your boss) won’t.
3. How will this affect the people I care about? So what if you don’t cook an awesome dinner every night of the week? Whoever you were going to cook for will get over it. But if you miss your best friend’s graduation or your mom’s 50th birthday party, they will remember that for years to come.
4. Do I really need to take on this responsibility? There are some things that we absolutely need to do such as meeting deadlines at work or remembering our dad’s birthday. Then there are things that we really don’t need to do such as promising to remember to pick up the neighbor’s mail and water their plants while they are on vacation. While these things are nice to do, they aren’t necessary and infringe on your “you time.”
By simply asking yourself these four questions you can whittle down all the tasks you take on each day and devote more time and energy to the tasks that are most important while giving yourself the “you time” you deserve.
