How to Go From Crazy Busy to Gracefully Busy

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In our day to day life, we tend to be crazy busy. Calendars are booked months out, weeks fly by, and we have to plan ahead to make sure we can fit in visits with family and friends. This of course has been completely flipped around with the COVID19 situation. I keep looking at our wall calendar expecting it to mean something, and all I see are a lot of empty dates. There is some beauty to this though. We have the opportunity to get into healthy habits and redefine the future rhythm of our lives. I believe there are three main steps to take our lives from crazy busy to gracefully busy.

1.) Identify your simple joys

The other day when I was hugging my son, I heard him let out this calm sigh-type noise: ‘mmmm’. I hadn’t even realized I was also making that noise until he started emulating the behavior. However, I recognized at once why I was making that sound – hugging my son is one of my simple joys.

If you ask around, everyone has different experiences in life that bring them joy. Some of these are tiny moments and others are a more prolonged activity. When asked, my husband’s first reaction on his simple joy was eating a slice of cake (this could be his efforts to get me to bake one…). Mine was reading. In reality, we both have many simply joys. Take some time during this slower pace to identify yours. Think about the times where you have felt entirely content and at peace, and make a list of your simple joys. As an example, see some ideas below:

• Spending an afternoon reading
• Eating a meal outside
• Eating breakfast at a restaurant (we only do this on weekends or vacations so I always associate this experience with being relaxed)
• Taking a walk in the woods (or even just outside)
• Closing out an evening by drinking a glass of wine on your front porch
• Watching the sun rise or set
• Taking a hot bath
• Spending time praying or doing a devotional
• Indulging in a decadent dessert
• Cuddling on the couch watching a movie with your kids
• Listening to music
• Playing with your dog

2.) Schedule in your simple joys

The unfortunate thing about the ideas listed above is that most of them take a bit of time. Time is so incredibly precious. Balancing work, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, driving, kids activities, and so on is beyond exhausting. The only way to ensure you are savoring life (not just the one week out of your year where you are on vacation) is to make some time for the things that you truly enjoy.

Some of them can be added in without too much extra effort. Do you plop on the couch out of exhaustion at the end of a long day? Try something new. Add a bottle of wine onto your grocery list. Take an evening to enjoy a glass while watching the sun set, talking with someone you love, or just getting lost in your thoughts. This idea works in the morning with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate as well (I personally love the quiet of the morning). If you have to clean or do dishes, crank up that music. I’m talking sunny day, windows down, driving home from work on a Friday type of volume. Incorporate some of your joys into your daily life.

For some of the bigger items, you are going to need to update your calendar. You can be old school and physically write it in (this is my method) or Google Calendar it. Pick some days, slot in your simple joy items and make it happen. Easy as that. Except when it is not. That takes us to our next step.

3.) Make room in your calendar

If you just cannot find any room to add in your items, it is time to make some. Let’s look at a few areas to explore:

All things food:

• Consider saving some time and doing a grocery curbside pickup option. This can have an added fee, but the time you will save might be worth it.
• Alternatively, you could spend a few hours compiling freezer meals so that you have a few days where you spend very little time cooking.
• Order a meal out – something like subs can be inexpensive and quick on an adventure day
• If you are struggling with the extra cost of these options, take a look at my post on saving money: https://gracefullybusy.com/how-to-start-an-emergency-fund-by-freeing-an-extra-50-month/ (the reducing eating out idea in that post doesn’t help here but there are some other great ideas)

Cleaning:

• Get rid of some of your stuff (donate, sell on Ebay or Facebook Marketplace, etc.) – the less stuff you have, the easier it is to keep the clutter to a minimum
• Clean as you cook – while food is simmering, start loading your dishwasher, and cleaning up as much as you can
• Enlist help – cleaning is not one person’s job. Everyone in the house should contribute…
• Find products to make it easier.
  • I’ve recently become a Norwex Independent Sales Consultant because I’ve found their products save me time when cleaning (and reduce waste). For example, they have two washable cloths that you can use to clean your windows and mirrors with just water. Saves me a lot of time vs. trying to get rid of the streaks with paper towels and glass cleaner. Please email me at gracefullybusy@gmail.com if you have any questions or interest in these products.
  • We have a Dyson battery operated vacuum that hangs on the wall that is so simple to operate and empty. I find myself vacuuming a lot more consistently because of the ease of use. It also is much lighter weight and the lack of cord makes it so much easier to do the stairs.

Doing the two most difficult things: saying ‘no’ and asking for help:

• It is ok to say ‘no’ sometimes.
  • When your kids want to be in 5,000 activities, it’s ok to limit them to a certain number.
  • If other people are all expecting too much from you, it is ok to sometimes say that you can’t make it or help this time.
• If you have friends or family nearby, it is ok to ask for help sometimes.
  • For friends with kids, you can offer to watch their kids for an afternoon and then swap the next time.
  • If you have parents that want to be involved, it’s ok to accept their help, for example enlisting them to drive your kids to an activity to help reduce your load

Now go make your list and start being intentional with your time!