Does your mind spin like a top?

Does this situation sound familiar to you?

It’s approaching midnight and you go to bed because you know you have to get up early to go to work, but you’re not really that tired. Your mind is constantly spinning, jumping from one thing to another.

It’s work first: your to-do list grows longer by the time; The next thing is the family: there are things to do around the house, a family function the following week, and the car engine makes that ticking noise again; then to your friends: your good friend is moving in next week and wants you to help him, but you are supposed to spend the day with your children; back to work, forgot to send that email to an important client and …

Well, you get the idea. Almost everyone I know has experienced “spinning mind” syndrome at least once. With not only the speed of business but life increasing at an alarming rate, it’s no wonder our brains are struggling to keep up. Mobile phones and email make us accessible at any time of the day. The demands of our personal life are becoming as automatic as those of our work life.

We rush from one thing to another, at top speed. So the big question is how do you prevent your mind from spinning so much?

Learn to say no “

For some people, this is an almost unheard of idea. The idea of ​​saying ‘no’ to a boss or co-worker, let alone a spouse, brother or friend, has hardly crossed our minds. But it is one of the most important things we can learn to do to slow down the rapid pace of our lives.

Saying “no” to things that are on someone else’s priority list is actually saying “yes” to things that are actually a priority for you. Saying “no” to overtime, even when you love money, in order to say “yes” to spending the night with your children is an important decision. In ten, twenty or thirty years, your children will not remember the few extra dollars they may or may not have earned, but they will remember whether or not they made enough during their childhood years.

Delegate, Delegate, Delegate

Delegation is an art form unto itself. For many of us, assigning an important project or job is difficult at best. We want to make sure it’s done right, so we feel like we have to do it ourselves. We firmly believe, as the old saying goes, that if you want something done right, you better do it yourself. But learning to delegate effectively will literally free up hours of your time, and there are three key things you can do to delegate more effectively. 1) Be clear about what you need, when you need it, and how you would like it to be done; 2) Assign an expiration date that allows for corrections and updates if necessary; 3) Be available for questions so that if there is any confusion, it is immediately cleared up.

Delegation is also a tool that you can use at home. Now, I’m not necessarily suggesting that you put your spouse or children to work, or teach your pet how to clean up his own mess and make his own dinner. What I’m suggesting is that you hire the tasks that you don’t really like to do and that you don’t really have time for. Maybe you don’t like house cleaning – hire a cleaner to come in twice a month. Or maybe mowing the lawn isn’t your thing – pay your neighbor’s kid to cut it for you.

Delegating, both at work and at home, can be challenging at first, but once you work out the details, you will feel the burden begin to drastically lighten.

Spend 30 minutes calmly preparing for bed

Very often, you will probably rush to the last minute before brushing your teeth and getting ready for bed. Even if all you were doing is watching TV or a movie, the speed of the action on the screen can be tremendous. Even the frame rate at which your TV displays images is dizzying.

Instead, try turning off the television at least 30 minutes before going to bed and trying to spend some quiet time with yourself while you go through your end-of-day routine. Reflect on your personal goals in life, including short and medium term goals that you would like to achieve. Be aware of your breathing and try to breathe deeply and slowly, using your entire diaphragm. Stretch your body or do some light yoga in preparation for bed.

If you’re not yet ready to fall asleep when you lie down, consider reading a few pages of a book or listening to soothing music.

get up earlier

If all else fails, try getting up earlier in the morning so that you will be more tired when it is time to go to bed. Generally, you will find that you can be more productive in the morning if you get up early than you would be in the evening if you go to bed late.

You can spend your mornings writing in your journal, exercising, going for a walk, or just enjoying the quiet early morning with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

If you implemented even one of these strategies, you would soon see your stress and hustle levels begin to decrease, and with them your spinning mind will begin to decrease.

For your success.