How to survive your busy day

I do quite a lot with my life. I always have.

As of right now, I’m

- an author of two books and am writing more

- an Editorial Assistant for The North Texan, the alumni magazine for my college

- a full-time college student (although right now it’s summer break so I can breathe a little more!)

- a blogger ;)

- a bookstagramer

- an avid reader

- a private swim instructor

- an assistant swim coach

- oh, and I also have somewhat of a social life, stay close with my family, and am in a committed relationship. I also work-out, do yoga, and meditate, all while having a reasonably healthy diet and somewhat of a sense of fashion.

I have consistent burn-outs because of how much I put on my plate, and I sometimes spend hours at a time blinking at a wall and drinking tension tea after work, trying to clear the toxicity of my cubicle environment. In those moments, simple texting or watching TV is a challenge. It’s not healthy to put so much on our plates, and that’s for certain.

However, I still do much more every day than all my friends, who are shocked to see me still standing and ready for more after my 7-hour workday at a desk job. Even my parents often advise me to do a little bit less. Everyone has always asked me the same thing: "How do you do so much in one day and remain so happy and chirpy? How do you get through the busy day?"

My best key of advice, right up front, is to STOP. Yes, you heard me. STOP. Slow down.

Stop adding so much to your plate. Stop trying to get everything done now. You have so much time ahead of you-you can do this.

Breathe in, breathe out, and stop. It'll all be okay in the end.

But, I am aware that there are some days when we can’t just stop, so....

There are a few things I do, without necessarily realizing it, that help ease the day’s heavy load. For all the overachievers out there who feel that they need to accomplish great things, or heck, even the college students, well… these may help you.

Make time for yourself in the morning The mornings are incredibly important to me. I usually wake up at 8, and first, I make a cold glass of water, then do my yoga and meditation before hopping in the shower and getting ready for work.

Then, my favorite part of the morning comes -- sipping my morning coffee while adding to my bullet journal or sometimes, just looking outside. It may sound silly, but I love my morning coffee so much that I try to take at least 15 minutes every morning to enjoy it.

You may be a night owl and despise mornings, but having a morning to yourself is important because it helps clear your head and prepare you for the busy day ahead. Also, when you’re feeling extra foggy-headed in the morning, it will give yourself something to look forward to. Also, to wake up, go to work, go to sleep, wake up, go to work, go to sleep, wake up… it’s probably not the best for your mental health.

To read more about morning routines, check out my post 5 things to add to your morning routine, and why you should start one. Don’t multitask

Trust me, it’s easy to do. Sometimes, I watch TV, write a blog post, and post on Instagram all at once and I call that me-time. Um, NO! Don’t do it. Just, don’t.

Schedule times throughout the day or week to do certain tasks, don’t just write them on your to-do-list. I do that sometimes, which then leads me to multitask and drive myself to burnouts. Be gentle with yourself. You’ll get everything done -- you will.

Journal

Journaling is such a gift and does wonders for my mental health -- at the end of a long day, I write out whatever is bothering me and instantly feel better. And, of course, I’m a writer, so writing is easy for me, right?

Not necessarily.

Journaling can be hard, especially when you feel like you have nothing to say. But journaling has magical powers that can help relieve any sort of hardship that anyone is undergoing. Buy yourself a pretty, new journal, like this one here, and write that stress away.

For some journaling inspiration, read my post: 30 journaling prompts for growth, release, gratitude, and self-actualization Develop a hobby that takes no mental effort

I have a lot of hobbies, such as writing, cooking, reading, bullet-journaling, but all of these, unfortunately, use up a big chunk of my mental brain power. Sure, you can get “lost” in your hobby, but everyone should have a few hobbies that don’t require too much effort. And, before you ask, “Can I watch TV?”, the answer is, “Nada!”

Some examples of relaxing, yet healthy hobbies of mine are gentle yoga (or light stretching), cleaning/organizing my room with soft, word-less music in the background, meditating, or even just listening to music. Try to do things that give your mind a break, even if it’s for 10-20 minutes a day. Our brains are constantly going, going, going, taking in so much information, trying to get everything done as fast as possible, so it’s important to slow it all down. Stay off social media/toxic-tv at night

I’ll admit -- for the past week, I’ve been staying up late watching the weird, negative videos of Youtube. You know... that part of Youtube.

I’ve been going to bed in funky moods and waking up in even funkier moods because my dreams got crazy, thanks to the videos and endless social media scrolling. I wake up feeling sad, gross, and I don't feel super motivated to start the day.

Goodness, why is Youtube to addicting?

Anyways. I wouldn’t recommend going on social media, watching weird Youtube videos, or watching bad TV right before bed -- it’ll just disrupt your calm mood and will add more cluttered, unwanted thoughts to your busy mind, and these toxic thoughts may carry on into the morning. Watch a fun movie, or read a really good book at night. Do what makes you happy… that’s NOT social media. But of course, that should be obvious. It'd be best to stay off social media as much as you can, really, so you don't get sucked into that whirlwind of competitive, jealous thoughts that add more craziness to your busy workload.

While I have many more tips, these are probably my best ones. Treat yourself, don't put so much on your plate -- this is something I need to work on, especially.

But, in the end, just step back, breathe, and when you're feeling overwhelmed, feeling like you have too much to do, look at the situation from far away. You'll realize that everything is possible, and that you can accomplish anything and everything. And although you may be one, small person, you can do this. You can conquer the world, and your to-do list.

At least, that's how I survive the busy days.

Probably writing,

Brittney