Escaping the Hamster Wheel

The monotony of every day life sometimes feels like the real world application of running on a treadmill: working hard but getting nowhere. It is often very difficult to recognize our own progress while it seems like everyone else around us is continuously moving forward. So how do you bring a little excitement to your life while still being productive?

1. Time Manage- Dr. Cleere and I cannot stress this enough. Use a planner and schedule your time. If you know tomorrow is going to be a crazy day at work but you still want to get a workout in, block it off in your planner to leave time available.

2. Work Harder and Smarter- Sometimes it might feel like no matter how much you accomplish, there is still always work to be done. This burden can feel overwhelming and stressful. When you work, do so in a controlled and focused way so that you are not distracted and are as productive as possible in the least amount of time. When you are burnt out, take a break whether it is 5 minutes or 1 hour. Instead of being hard on yourself for what you have not accomplished, give yourself credit for what you did complete.

3. Take Time Off- Depending on your schedule, try to give yourself at least one day where you do no work at all. Your workload may not allow you to do this every week but if you can’t take one day completely off a week, try once every two weeks or once a month. Dare I say, this night even mean ditching your electronics for the day. It feels liberating to disconnect.

4. Hope- In other words, give yourself something to look forward to. Each person enjoys different things, but plan events that allow you to have fun: dinner with friends, Sunday football, running group, intramural sports, wine tasting, etc. Anything that will help you get through the week.

Speaking of, enjoy the weekend…Happy Saturday!