That overwhelmed feeling, too many things to do, not enough time in the day, can't get it all done, seems to be shared by many. We may be overstimulated, or place too many demands on our own time, between the things we want to do, and the things we feel like we have to do. Of course there have been thousands of discussions about "shoulds", and choices, and modern society being over run with electronic communication. But there may be some shortcuts through the stress, back to "you".
One of the ways that time is organized in academic and professional settings is the simple schedule. Just like in school or work, put up a blackboard or whiteboard somewhere in plain sight. Then, simply write the things down that you need and want to get done that day, as if you were writing it for someone else; like you are the teacher, professor, or boss. Write the start time and the end time next to the task, just like a classroom or business day schedule. Then, walk away. Now you can be the student or the employee, and just go by that schedule that the "teacher" or the "boss" wrote on the board. If you finish a task early, you can take a break until the time for that task has ended. If you do not finish by the time the next task starts, just shelve the task until after the schedule is finished, or resume the next day. If you find you did not schedule enough time for a task that must be completed, you can always adjust the schedule the next day. Just like in class, or working for someone else.
Your black or whiteboard doesn't need to be a permanent fixture, you don't need to figure out how to integrate it into your whole life. Just trying it may help to reset your stress levels, and give you a little more feeling of solid ground under your feet. Have fun with it.
Slán agus beannacht leat !
copyright Marianne Black 2011
