Last night I was in tears. After scrambling to finish work at 8 pm, I sat down on the couch and had this sudden feeling like I was drowning. Not in the literal sense, but in the sense that there is a list of so many things running through my head in a never-ending loop of to-dos. I felt there was no way I could accomplish them all.
A friend recently recommended this podcast episode from The Happiness Lab. I learned that the feeling of having too many things to do and not enough time to meet those demands is called time famine. It’s something that plagues recent generations, especially with the introduction of the internet and phones that pull our attention in so many directions.
Personally, I’ve been feeling this time famine so much since bringing home our new puppy, Jolene. I love her to death and knew that a puppy would take more time, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t feel overwhelmed by all I feel I have to do. When my personal computer died during a routine update last week, I about lost it. Trying to fit in a workout, two dog walks, a blog post, and a litany of other personal to-dos all before starting work at 12 has been hard.
In fact, over the last week, I’ve started to let so many things slide. My computer has sat unused in the living room because I haven’t been able to bring myself to call Apple and have them erase it. There’s a pile of packages that I’ve been meaning to return for two weeks. I’m hardly working out more than two days a week when I used to work out every day. And I feel so immensely guilty for not getting all of these things done.
I really appreciated listening to this podcast and learning that I’m not alone in this feeling of time famine. There’s this pressure to accomplish so much, to say yes to every ask, and to be good at everything we do. If you stop and take a second to think about it, those pressures are not usually outside pressures, but ones we put on ourselves.
Below are a few tips for dealing with time famine that I picked up from this podcast and wanted to share. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by time famine, consider picking one or two and implementing them this week. I know I’ll be doing that!
Tips for Dealing with Time Famine
- Take a real lunch break – I know so many of us are guilty of working straight through lunch. Personally, I work from 12 – 8p, which means I am usually on the clock when lunch comes around. But taking a true break (whether for lunch or an afternoon snack) can help break up the day and refresh your mindset.
- Outsource – This is one I’m excited to look into. I recently had a friend hire a personal assistant. At 28, that originally felt a bit over the top. But when I stop to think about things that are stressing me out the most or keep getting pushed to the bottom of my to-do list, they’re often small. Items like sending flowers to a friend or cleaning the bathroom have been plaguing me for days. But if you have the budget to get help with these tasks, it can give you back that peace of mind and happiness that you can put into other priorities. In the podcast, outsourcing doesn’t have to mean spending a fortune. It could be as much as ordering takeout to save time. The thing is, you have to ensure you’re deliberate with your free time to make that outsourcing worth it.
- Be deliberate with free time – I’m very guilty of not using my free time well. A free hour or small unexpected break usually gets spent watching TV or checking social media. In the podcast, there’s a suggestion to track your free time and how you spend it. Consider writing a list of things you wish you spent your free time doing – things like calling a friend or writing in your journal. Then when you have a free moment, take a look at the list and do one of those things instead of wasting your free time doing nothing.
- Learn to say no – I struggle so much with this one. I’m always looking to please everyone and to do my best at everything. Often this results in my feeling overwhelmed with the 37219 things I ‘need’ to do. Saying no isn’t inconsiderate, it’s a way to ensure you’re in the best mental state to give everyone your all when you have the time. When dealing with time famine, consider your priorities and personal happiness next time you’re asked to add something to your to-do list.
- Find time to idle – If you’re like me, it’s hard to find time to truly be idle, especially during the workweek. And I often feel guilty for idling when I feel I should be checking things off my list. The past two weeks have been four-day work weeks for me. Yet I somehow spent those days off running through a litany of to-do’s and not taking any true time to idle. We live in a very go-go-go society, especially at home in this pandemic. But taking time to take a nap, call a friend or read a book can have such benefits for your mood.
