Work, school, family, a social life…there’s a lot on your plate. Sometimes it can seem impossible to balance it all.
Keeping up with a busy schedule can feel completely overwhelming. With a little bit of guidance, you can learn the secret to keeping balance in all this chaos.Â
Scheduling Habits
When it comes to nailing down a healthy routine, the first thing to focus on is your scheduling habits.Â
 Are you failing to keep up with your schedule? Are you filling up your schedule too much? Do you even have a schedule at all?
Knowing yourself is a huge key to success when it comes to creating and maintaining a schedule. For example, if you get excited about aesthetics, use fun colors, stickers, and pens in your schedule to motivate you.Â
Nail down a schedule that works for you and find ways to hold yourself accountable for it. You’ll be amazed at how accomplished you’ll feel!
S.M.A.R.T. Goals
Let’s be honest… it’s not always that you’re too busy but rather you can’t stay motivated for that long. It’s extremely difficult to get things done in an appropriate amount of time when you can’t get motivated to do it.Â
Sometimes you don’t even know where to start. That’s where SMART goals come in handy.
Specific. Measurable. Achievable. Relevant. Time-bound.
This is your key to getting things done how and when you want them to be done. SMART goals push you to make a specific plan for your goals so that you can set yourself up for success.
Next time you have a big project for school, work, or even relationships, try applying this structure:
Specific– Make a specific goal that you want to set. By narrowing your vision of what you want to succeed in, you’re more likely to follow through.Â
Measurable– How can you tell that you’re progressing with this goal? Set up goal posts along your journey so that you can see how far you’re coming.Â
Attainable– Make sure your end goal, as well as your journey to it, is realistic. Try not to overwork or put unrealistic expectations on yourself. This only leads to shame and can greatly hinder your efforts.
Relevant– Consider the purpose of this goal. How is it relevant to what you want to succeed in your career, relationships, or life in general? Understanding the relevance of your goal in the big picture might just be the motivation you need to continue.
Time-based– Lastly, it’s important to set up a realistic timeline for your goal. Factor in rest time and possible hiccups that may arise in your work. Now you can be motivated by a structured schedule to hold you accountable to your work.
Proper Rest
Lastly, the key to keeping up with a busy schedule is to properly rest.Â
You can argue that you don’t have time to rest, but the truth of the matter is–it’s still necessary. A lack of rest will lead to more mistakes and sluggishness, as well as a lack of fulfillment and motivation.
A lack of rest leads to detriments in performance, satisfaction, productivity, and even career progression. Skipping out on rest so that you can finish another deadline isn’t actually beneficial to you in the long run.
Scheduling rest into your week is vital to keep you healthy and motivated. Protect that rest because it’s quite literally the fuel that keeps you going!
Go easy on yourself!
Having a busy schedule doesn’t make your rest time or self-care any less important. Balancing rest and productivity is truly the key to success.Â
It’s time to learn what’s best for you to find that balance. You’ll have the same amount of work, but your mindset will be much stronger! This way, your busy schedule won’t feel so daunting and your tasks won’t feel so difficult.
