Staying Sane When Life Gets Too Busy

Many of my friends are facing an extra-busy month right now, filled with end-of-school-year events on top of the normal schedule of work, kids, and life. We all have weeks or months when life gets busier than ever. For me it was usually the weeks preceding a Big Project, such as a high-school play I was directing. There was always so much to do those final weeks that I went into stressed-out, survival mode, fueled by too much caffeine, chocolate, and junk food. Can you relate?

Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way that can help you cope when life gets too busy.

Be intentional about what to let go.

Start by admitting you can’t do it all. Most of us can’t finish everything on our to-do lists under normal circumstances. When life gets extra-busy it’s obvious we’ll never be able to get it all done. The quicker we accept that fact, the quicker we can let go of chores and expectations that will bog us down with the guilt of unfinished tasks.

It’s much better to decide ahead of time which tasks you will intentionally put off, rather than getting to the end of your busy day and realizing you’ve skipped something really important. For example, you may need to relax your housecleaning expectations, cut back on your exercise schedule, or make peace with the fact your family will be eating a week of quick-and-easy meals (probably in shifts while parents shuttle kids to final concert rehearsals, recitals, and sports awards ceremonies).

Be honest about your biggest time-wasters and find ways to control them

You know what they are: social media, Netflix, a book, Sudoku puzzles… Whatever tends to suck your attention away until you’ve spent way more time than you intended—consider it a temptation you need to control. I have already set aside a book I’d begun because I realized I didn’t have the bandwidth to finish it until my Big Project was out of the way. Painful but worth it. (And I was able to enjoy the book more once things calmed down, anyway.)

What time wasters do you need to be vigilant about during busy times? How will you guard yourself from falling back into the trap?

Consider where being ultra-organized will pay big dividends

You may not be the plan-ahead or super-organized type, but when things get extra-busy it generally pays to force yourself to be organized about certain things. Maybe this is the time to make a weekly meal plan and stick to it. Maybe this is the week to pack lunches and set out clothes the night before. Maybe this is a week to plan ahead and work shopping and other errands into your chauffeur-the-kids schedule.  You or your family may kick and whine, but if adding a little structure keeps you sane, isn’t it worth it?

Don’t neglect the care and feeding of your soul

When my life got crazy busy, I intentionally did NOT cancel the Bible study I taught. Because I was teaching, it forced me to spend time studying my Bible and meeting with other women—two things I knew I would otherwise skip so I would have more time to work on the Big Project.

What feeds your soul? Exercise? Meditation? Going for a horseback ride? Spending time with your mentor, good friend, or important family members? Whatever it is that keeps you sane when your world threatens to crumble into chaos, DO IT!

Be quick to extend grace

To yourself. To your family. To the cashier who seems to be taking forever and the frazzled server who forgets to refill your drinks.

When life gets too busy, tempers fray. Things get forgotten. Milk gets spilled. Schedules are disrupted. Nerves are jangling. Now more than ever you need to be quick to extend grace, to forgive and move on, to not allow minor irritants to erupt into mountains. Breathe in. Breathe out. Be kind even when you don’t feel like it.

Don’t miss the important moments

A busy season involves special events: dance recitals, school musicals, prom night, graduations, awards banquets. When we get to those big moments we need to remember to pay attention. To slow down and drink them in. Take a few deep breaths and look around you. Notice the details. Savor the sights, smells, tastes. Smile. Take photos to remember the moment later. Sit back and enjoy.