Christina Pashialis On How To Set Boundaries To Prevent Burnout
By Christina PashialisJan 28 2022
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It’s not uncommon to hear someone respond with their version of “I’ve been busy lately” when someone asks how they’re doing.
And it’s okay when that’s the truth from time to time.
However, something’s amiss when busyness becomes an everyday reality with no room to enjoy life.
How do I know?
That’s how I lived my life prior to the pandemic.
I was blinded by the promises of hustle culture and packed my schedule with more tasks than I could manage.
It didn’t end well.
My unhealthy pursuit of busyness turned into a lack of wellness, affecting every aspect of my life from my physical health to my spiritual wellbeing.
And only at that point, I realized I lacked free time in my daily life.
That revelation led to a simple and impactful journey where I now create space in my busy schedule for family, hobbies, and more! Yes, even while working a full-time job, managing a business, investing in my marriage, and raising a toddler 😊
So I’m here to share proven ways to navigate life’s demands and live a full life as a working parent.
According to the Collins dictionary, a busy schedule is a calendar full of tasks or events with specific deadlines that make you unavailable for anything else.
For example, that could look like working 24/7 with little sleep. Or, it could look like a day full of endless chores and errands with no personal time.
No matter the scenario, we can agree that a busy schedule feels hectic and allows no space for self-care or leisure.
Then why is it so addicting?
Honestly, we associate limited time with social status.
We, unintentionally or intentionally, participate in this unspoken competition to prove how important we are based on how jam-packed our schedules appear to be.
We want to feel valued.
But doing it this way is a lie!
Success isn’t defined by dysfunction and being a workaholic.
It’s defined by fulfillment, joy, and rest.
Here are five practical ways to curate a full (but not draining) life.
I learned how to do this by reading the book, I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make The Most of Their Time by Laura Vanderkam.
Track your time for a week using your phone calendar, notes app, or planner.
It doesn’t need to be complicated. You simply need to write down the start and end times of what you do.
For example, Sleep from 10:30 PM to 7 AM.
At the end of the week, review your schedule. Notice what you actually do and assess how long things take.
Ask yourself:
Write down what you’d want to do in your ideal week.
Use freedom.to to control your distractions and make your scheduled time more productive. This tool lets you block the websites and apps that routinely distract you, across all devices, so that you can get into a state of flow with your work.
You can schedule your "Freedom" time in advance, while you're blocking out your calendar, so that you can jump straight into your task uninterrupted.
Now that you know your priorities, schedule them into your calendar.
That could include mediation breaks or scheduling time to resume a hobby.
Don’t complicate it.
For example, every weekday I want to have a cup of coffee and eat breakfast (self-care) followed by helping my daughter get ready for school (family). So on my calendar, this means mornings are blocked off with these events.
It doesn’t mean I can’t ever go out of town for work or a personal trip.
It means I’m setting daily and weekly intentions.
That makes me better prepared to avoid being busy and create the life of ease that I want.
Once you start doing this, you’ll experience it too!
Reminder for Black women 🗣
— Tamara Sykes 🇧🇧 (@baydiangirl) June 8, 2021
You don't have to do it all.
Hire the housekeeper.
Hire the babysitter.
Get the meal prep service.
Listen, every parent has a superhuman day but it’s unrealistic to sustain.
You can delegate!
It could be a housekeeper that cleans your home once or twice a month.
Or, you could hire a local meal prep service to help your family eat healthily and to save you cooking time!
I actually use one and I can confirm it saves me so much time.
Google “meal prep service near me” or “prepared food deliver” to find options where the food is cooked before it arrives at your door. Then all you’ll have to do is microwave it.
Remember, you won’t be happy trying to create a life that makes the person on your social media feed fulfilled.
You will only be happy when you have a life that you actually want.
With all the information available to us today, you will be tempted to be like the highlight reels you see online.
But don’t get distracted or discouraged.
Sure, you can adopt an idea into your intentional routine but only if it aligns with your priorities.
Trust your journey!
You don’t have to be overwhelmed to prove that you are an amazing person who’s loved and valued in every area of your life.
You can take control, set intentions, and live abundantly.
I’m a recovering hustlepreneur who did it and I believe you can do it too :)
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By Ryan JonesJan 28 2022