Want More Time for Yourself? Stop Squeezing in One More Thing

Woman reading a magazine at a table

Do you feel as if you could use more personal time to rest, reflect, and decompress from a busy work week?

Does the thought of having an entire morning, afternoon, evening, or day all to yourself excite you?

If so, then you’ll definitely want to consider relaxing your tight grip on your schedule.

In this post, I offer a few friendly reminders as to why you need to let go of the mentality of squeezing one more thing into your calendar.

Your Calendar is a Container

When people talk about calendars or schedules, they immediately jump to the following conclusion: a calendar must be completely filled with appointments and meetings.

They accept every social invitation they receive, say yes to, or schedule unnecessary meetings, and fill their calendar with activity upon activity.

Even if they already have an overly packed schedule, they don’t hesitate to double or overbook appointments.

I don’t know about you, but to me, that’s quite an exhausting way to look at things!

A calendar holds items in place and prevents things from happening all at once.

But just because it is a container, doesn’t mean it has to be jam-packed or filled to the brim in order for it to be useful.

Look at it this way: if you’re going to use a suitcase for your tropical vacation, you don’t have to fill it up with clothing until the zippers burst and the seams split.

If you want to use a drinking glass, you don’t have to pour orange juice into it until the liquid spills out onto the table.

And if you want to use a postal mailbox, you don’t have to stuff it full of mail and catalogs to make it more effective at holding the mail.

In the examples above, that seemingly unnecessary space is what makes the container useful.

So, if you aren’t jumping on your suitcase to pack it, overflowing your juice glass on the kitchen table, or overstuffing your mailbox outside of your home, why should you treat your calendar any differently?

Here’s a few things to keep in mind:

 

You don’t have to fill up your calendar.

Remember, your calendar is simply a container. It will still hold meetings and appointments whether or not it is tightly or loosely packed.

 

You don’t always have to be “on.”

You don’t have to live a life of stress. You don’t have to check your email 24/7, run yourself ragged attending non-essential functions, or have a fully-booked schedule. Don’t be concerned with what other people are doing. Your first priority should be yourself and your wellbeing.

 

You will have time to take care of all that other stuff.

What truly needs to get done, will get done. You know all those urgent and important personal and work tasks that absolutely had to get done last week, last month, last year? They were completed, weren’t they? So, just take a deep breath and relax.

 

Your personal time is never going to be handed to you.

When’s the last time someone said to you, “You should take today off for yourself and just relax?” Probably never. (And if this has happened to you, you should definitely count yourself lucky to be surrounded and supported by such caring people!).

As a matter of fact, you’re probably more likely to have heard the exact opposite: “Can you put aside your plans for today and help me ________________?”

People will always ask you for your time. Rarely will anyone give you the personal time you need. That’s why it’s so important for you to release that tense grip on your schedule. Make time for yourself to relax, destress, and enjoy life.

 

How about you? How do you approach or view your calendar? Are you constantly on a quest to fill it up or do you use it to solely hold things in place? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!

5 Unexpected Things You Need to Organize a Work Notebook Mockup
About the Author

Rashelle

Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based productivity consultant who helps successful entrepreneurs and business owners manage their time and energy so they can reduce stress, work less, and make more money in their businesses. She has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, The Washington Post, NPR, and The Atlantic. Get her free guide, 5 Unexpected Things You Need to Organize a Work Notebook, by clicking here.

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