by V. Kumar

Created on: April 26, 2008   Last Updated: August 25, 2008

A life too busy is like being a small child lost in a big fair!

For a busy person, there is so much to do, so many goals to achieve, and so many challenges to meet that merely deciding what you ought to do or not can becomes a matter of stress!

DECIDE WHAT YOU DO NOT NEED

Ironically, bringing a semblance of balance and harmony in this busy schedule of one's routine requires additional effort to streamline the goals and activities and prioritize one's needs with the time available at hand. Counter-intuitive as it may appear, the success in dealing with this challenge of aplenty requires developing an ability to decide what you do not need to do, as much as what you should be doing. Often the word NO is a far more potent instrument than anything else available, provided it is used with due diligence, sensitivity and tactfulness.

UNLEARN HABITS THAT KEEP YOU BUSY BEYOND YOUR NEEDS

The stress of busy life arises mostly from habits that have outlived their utility. During the early part of our career, we learn not to let opportunities go by. During that period we are always looking for a break, and grab every opportunity, small or big, that crosses us. Gradually, we become better off, but we still need to grow more ...and more, and then it becomes a habit. We can still not let an opportunity go by, irrespective of the cost that we need to pay for grabbing it, and irrespective of the fact that this cost is paid in terms of the basic unit and essence of life - time!

Life consists of years, which in turn are made of hours and minutes. Time is the essence of life - the only commodity that we cannot buy in the market, and yet, often it is the one commodity that we are ready to spend without thinking twice. We spend life to satisfy our habits. We pay with our life to satisfy our need for further growth. Often, we are busy not because it is good for us, but because we know no other way.

An imbalanced, busy life is largely a product of a confused mind. In a day, we will be spending exactly twenty four hours, irrespective of whatever we do or don't. It is HOW we spend those twenty four hours that makes all the difference. If we are not able to balance it, then it leads to stress and frustration, which can negate all success, and also become a health hazard, further impacting the quality as well as quantity of life.

DECIDE YOUR PRIORITIES

The first step in balancing a busy life consists of deciding one's priorities. Everyone wants money, but all of us value certain things more than

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