By Crystal Linn

In today’s society being busy and accomplishing much can be considered a badge of honor, especially when cramming ‘just one more thing’ into our list of tasks to accomplish. Being productive contributes to a person feeling more positive about his or her self, increasing one’s self esteem. However, it is critical to practice self-care in order to maintain such productivity.

The negative results of being too busy are not eating correctly, not exercising and limited sleep which causes stress and poor physical health.

A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that sleep deprivation can be just as harmful to a person as alcohol impairment, leading to other health issues.

The stress of busyness can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety and clinical depression. In addition when we are too busy there is no time for socialization which is critical for good mental health.

All of these conditions inhibit our ability to function as efficiently as we would like.

Many experts believe staying busy can be an excuse for some individuals who wish to avoid dealing with deep emotional wounds. However, not dealing with emotional wounds is the same as not dealing with physical wounds. When not dealt with, any wound, be it physical or emotional, can fester and grow creating a larger wound, harder to heal.

Time management is a simple solution to provide balance in our lives for both productivity and self-care.

Recent research has shown how organizing one’s time not only increases productivity but reduces stress and improves one’s emotional wellbeing which benefits our overall mental health. Good time management also reduces procrastination. Most importantly, time management helps to develop healthy routines and habits, critical for long term health and success.

There are many tools available for time management, and there is no one right method for everyone.

The bottom line is to take every item circling around in our brains and write all of them down. While in our brains these thoughts can swish around faster than a hamster on his wheel. Once these thoughts are transferred from brain to paper or screen they can be looked at objectively and dealt with more effectively.

One important item in dealing with tasks is not only what needs to be done but when to accomplish it.

Time management is a learnable skill and there are many good books and programs available.

One of my favorite books is Tyranny of Urgent by Charles. E. Hummel. It is only 32 pages long yet it is full of good advice. One impactful illustration in the book describes how a cruise ship must turn directions slowly otherwise the hull will crack. Our brains actually have a larger capacity than a cruise ship and therefore we must make the changes we desire slowly, one degree at a time. This is a reminder for us to be gentle with ourselves while improving our time management skills for a better, healthier life.

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