How Do We Know We Are Too Busy in Our Life?

Often, we may not know if we are too busy. A less busy person may see a busy person as stressful. A busy person may see a less busy person as unproductive.

Since a large part of our day is involved in our full-time work, the nature of work is vital to our total well-being.

While it is true that some days in our week can be hectic, it must not be overwhelming for an extended period.

I have my fair share of busy schedules, like meetings and training, which are all back-to-back. But they are infrequent and only happen once in a while.

However, there are some tell-tale signs that you could be too busy.

1. Constantly feeling stressed and overwhelmed

If you feel this way for a while, I suggest you re-organise your schedule as much as possible. Stress over an extended time is not suitable for the body and mind.

For example, if I were to arrange many appointments on the same day, I would feel overwhelmed. Hence, I try to space out my appointments so I can have some time to catch up on my tasks.

2. When you feel that you do not have enough time for yourself, your hobbies and your relationships

You will agree that each of the items mentioned above is equally important. We all need time to attend to our tasks or some self-care routines. Without it, our lives may behave like a zombie.

Hobbies like reading or watching Netflix are essential to a certain extent. Sometimes, I do not watch a single TV show for a day, but I enjoy returning to it after a busy day. We all need a little entertainment to make our days count.

Relationships are essential to maintain. If you are a parent, you would need time for your children. If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, you need time to nurture that relationship. Of course, we must not forget to nurture the relationship even after marriage. Any relationship left cold for a while will suffer a lack of meaning and purpose.

3. Frequently cancelling or rescheduling plans with friends and family

It may seem unavoidable sometimes if you have a job to do and you cannot be available for your friends and family. But watch it so that it does not happen very often.

I just heard from a friend yesterday that she no longer would invite a particular person to her gathering because that person constantly postponed his coming due to work. It was sad to hear such stories, but it always takes two hands to clap in relationship-building.

4. Feeling like you're always in a rush or racing against the clock

We can feel stressed if we are constantly feeling rushed in life. If you feel this way daily, you know that something is amiss. Of course, you can also adjust to it and ignore your feelings. However, it is not a wise thing to do because we need to slow down to smell a rose.

In modern life, sometimes our jobs can get so hectic that we feel rushed most of the time. If possible, find a job that allows you to work at a more comfortable pace, even if it pays you less. We all want to accumulate more wealth in life. However, it must not be at the expense of our health or life.

5. Frequently feeling irritable, moody, or anxious

If we have difficulty managing our temper because of our busyness with work, we must seek help. If our work affects our life adversely, we need to make changes.

I know someone who was constantly intimidated and overwhelmed at work, but she had to stay on because she needed the income.

Society sometimes does not allow people to change jobs easily because of limited job opportunities. But we must care for our minds and body. Something is wrong if we are moody or anxious about going to work.

In Conclusion

If you are experiencing any of these signs, it may be time to reassess your priorities and consider changing your job to reduce your workload and create more balance.

We must not take on more than we can cope with; otherwise, stress and illness may creep into our life. Likewise, we also need to plan our activities to prevent being overwhelmed.