Have you ever wondered why at the end of a crazy day of “Hurry up! Let’s go! Come on!” you feel exhausted and…somehow, less farther ahead than you think you ought to be? Me, too – until I read a facebook post by author Lori V. Fogarsi. (Lori is the author of Momnesia – a novel about a suburban mom trying to find balance between her ‘momminess’ and her ‘sexiness’. Wait -what’s that sound? Oh, it’s the collective sigh of mothers everywhere. I know, I hear ya. I picked up her book, too.)
Back on track here. Lori’s post read, “I’ve been reminding myself that rushing doesn’t get things done much faster, but it does feel more stressful.” Yes! That’s it! There’s nothing more stressful than the act of being stressed. Think about it. What are you telling your body when you’re rushing about the house, hands flailing, barking “Let’s go! We’re gonna be laaaaate!” and shoving diapers into the diaper bag like you’re a bank robber trying to make off with bucketloads of cash. Obviously your body is going to go in to stress mode. Heart beats faster, pits get sweaty, jaw clenches. Seriously. There aren’t many situations where that kind of behaviour or body response is warranted. A fire is really the only one that comes to mind right now.
image courtesy of stockimages/freedigitalphotos.net
We rush to get out the door, we rush to get back in the door. We try to coerce drivers to move faster and red lights to change sooner. (Tapping the steering wheel has not been proven in any way effective.)
You have lots to do and so do I. I am not denying that proper time management is crucial to getting through most of our days. But I think Lori is on to something here. Getting something done in a calm manner vs. getting something done as though your butt were on fire can have completely different effects – especially at the end of the day.
I was so pleased to come across Lori’s tip on her facebook page. If you have any gems you want to share with us, please do. You can reach me by my contact page and I’d be happy to introduce my readers to you, or share your tip anonymously if you prefer.
Have a productive but calm day!
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P.S. Sprout’s new issue, Inspiration, is OUT! Grab your 60 pages of bold and uplifting poetry, prose and art. This is the gorgeous magazine that inspired me to create my Make-A-Wave cards – I encourage you to see what it does for you!
Thanks Tas xoxoxo
You’re very welcome! 🙂
This one is definitely for my partner!
And…did your partner read it? 🙂
Thoughts to ponder Taslim!
I know you and I have a “thing” about getting places on time…but we also both know what basketcases we can make ourselves when we rush in the process. 😉
I needed that. Thanks!
You’re welcome! Thanks for reading 😉
You’re welcome, Janice! Thanks for reading 😉
Thanks for the nice mention, Taslim! I’m glad my tip inspired you to write such a fantastic article!
It’s a great tip, Lori! Thanks for letting me share it with my readers!
Hi Taslim,
It’s definately a challenge to relax and take your time. I know sometimes I just want to get more done. Sometimes I feel my mind is going too fast to keep up with.
I’m finding having a list of stuff to do and going through it instead of trying to focus on it all at once is helping alot.
-Ben
Hi Ben – thanks for your comment! Great idea to break down huge tasks, or make a list of all the things flying around your head. Wishing you a 2013 of many tick marks on your list and also many moments of staring into space, rejuvenating your creative cells 🙂