It's Time to Find Balance

This is my fourth time trying to write my blog post for this week. Not because I don’t have anything to say but because I have too many things I want to talk about. This is not unusual for me. I am always full of ideas, some that are good and some that are pretty bad. Nevertheless, my problem is never that I have a shortage of things to write about but rather an inability to focus on one idea and see it through to the end. 

Today, I set aside a good three hours to write this. I sat in my room at my desk for three hours, and guess what I got done… Nothing. But after hours had passed and I had nothing to show for it, I decided that instead of wasting any more precious time, I would lay on my bed and scroll until it was 2 a.m. and then whine and complain about all I had to do tomorrow.

I know I am not the only one who suffers from the paralysis that comes with having too many things to do, but it can still feel pretty lonely when our days are looking a little less productive than most. Unfortunately, I do not have the fix-all for getting out of the cycle of workload paralysis with just the snap of your fingers, but I can share a few tips for working through the brain block.

First and foremost, writing things down on a physical piece of paper lets you get your thoughts out of your head and into your hands. Seeing what you are thinking can allow you to conceptualize your thoughts better, putting them into perspective so you can shift your mindset to seeing your workload as bite-sized tasks.

From there, prioritizing and grouping your tasks can help give you a place to start. For example, by organizing my to-do list and grouping tasks into homework, chores, personal responsibilities, and more, I can put things into perspective. This enables me to shift my thoughts from “Oh my gosh, I have so much to do I don’t even know where to start” to “I have a lot to do, but I can start by getting my chores done and checking the first thing off my list by folding my laundry.” From there, it is easier to start getting things done because you know exactly what you need to do rather than being overwhelmed by the thought of having so many things to do. 

My last tip for now, which I think may be the most important, is remembering to give yourself grace and allocate time for rest and taking breaks. In the culture we live in today, we are conditioned to think that if we take breaks, we are lazy and aren't getting enough done. With this thought process, we are often left sitting at the computer trying to force ourselves to focus cause at least we are trying to get things done rather than doing nothing. But like I already said, overwhelming yourself by thinking about everything you have to do often leads you to get nothing done. 

Taking breaks to walk around outside and get some fresh air or even spend time with friends over coffee allows you to separate yourself from the stress so you can return to it later feeling rejuvenated and ready to begin again.

Mark 6:31 says, “And he (Jesus) said to them, ‘Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.”

The apostles had returned from their ministry and told Jesus about all they had done, to which Jesus said they must now make time to rest. As important as it is to do the work the Lord calls us to, it is equally important to take time to find rest so that the work we set out to do can be done to the fullest. As Jesus and the apostles knew well, life can be so busy that it is hard to find time to rest, which is why it is all the more important that we set aside time to go to a desolate place to be still with God so we can rest in his overwhelming presence.

Sometimes it can be hard to sit down and focus on getting things done but finding balance and getting your thoughts organized is a great place to start.