Busy? Overwhelmed? Try this.

Most of us live in a near-constant state of busyness. Between the demands of job and career, home and family, friends and colleagues, church and community—not to mention your own health and sanity—open schedules and zero commitments are a rarity. 

That constant busyness has become the norm for many of us, and we mostly do okay with juggling it all. But what happens when a life event hits that brings your over-busy schedule up to a whole new level? Maybe it’s the birth of another child, a return to higher education, moving to a new city, a stressful job transition, a major diagnosis, or increased responsibility for an aging parent.

Whatever it may be, sometimes schedules and routines get hijacked for a season, and it’s all you can do to keep your head above water. When this happens, it’s likely time to hit “pause” on long-term goals and instead focus on your daily and weekly practices. In a recent HBR article, authors Jackie and John Coleman recommend focusing on a few key habits:

“Daily or weekly habits aligned with your long-term goals can keep you on track even when it’s hard to think ahead, and they can add stability in an otherwise unsteady time. Each of us have regular practices we try to maintain to give our lives structure, to remain mentally and physically healthy, and to assure we’re approaching life consciously. These habits, important at any time, are essential in our busiest and most chaotic periods.”

So what are these habits you should be focusing on? The Colemans point to 4 key areas in which we typically find our most critical habits:

• Personal reflection (e.g. times of quiet and solitude, journaling, etc.)
• Professional reflection (e.g. planning and prioritizing tasks, projects, meetings, etc.)
• Building and maintaining relationships (e.g. simple routines and time spent with kids, spouse, friends, etc.)
• Physical and mental health (e.g. exercise, sleep, good food, etc.)

So whatever those critical habits might be for you, take a few minutes to identify them and figure out how you can keep them incorporated into even your most chaotic seasons of life. That way you can not just survive those seasons, but thrive!

To read the full HBR article by Jackie and John Coleman, please click here.