How To Prioritize Rest In A Busy Schedule

When was the last time you focused on incorporating rest into your busy schedule? A long time ago, or maybe never.

Don’t worry you’re not alone, the busy bug has bitten me too. It’s easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of a hectic schedule but if you don’t learn to incorporate rest into your life adequately it can have disastrous effects on all facets of your well-being.

Today, we will look at three of the most effective ways to prioritize rest in a busy schedule.

But before moving on to that, let’s first understand what rest is and why it is important.

What Is Rest & Why It Is Important?

Rest means to stop working or doing any activity in order to relax and recharge oneself.

It can be as simple as closing your eyes, or it can be as luxurious as taking a scenic vacation.

Not resting can increase the chances of people experiencing stress and various mental health issues.

A study conducted by Zippia, shared that just 6% of workers do not feel stressed at work. The remaining 94% are at a high risk of facing these issues. Regardless of what’s going on in your life, you need to ensure you are giving yourself the room to breathe and carving out some time to yourself.

Honestly, stress can have long-term repercussions on your body, and to alleviate it, rest is essential.

Let’s get into a few practical ways you can prioritize rest in your busy schedule.

1. Prioritize The Important Things

In order to incorporate rest into your busy schedule, the first thing you need to do is prioritize the important things.

Nobody can handle too many tasks at once and there’s no prize for trying. Instead, practice carving out time to do the things that are most important to you. When it’s necessary to exercise self-care, saying no to certain activities and saving your time will help.

Make your most essential activities and events your top priorities, and allow yourself some free time so you can relax.

2. Develop Work-life Balance

Are you working long hours, skipping lunch, or responding to office emails after work hours? If you answered yes to all of these then you are in dire need of work-life balance. This lack of balance will eventually lead to burnout.

According to Deloitte’s marketplace survey on burnout and work-life balance, around 77% of people said that they had experienced burnout at their current jobs at least once.

This happens when your work-life balance is out of whack.

Unfortunately, this imbalance can have far-reaching impacts. It can damage your mental, physical, and emotional health.

To combat this imbalance it is important to strike a healthy balance between your work environment and personal life. One way to do this is to take breaks when you need them the most and leave your workplace when it’s time to go home.

3. Plan Your Week

According to a Zulily study, people who plan have more control over their emotions and experience less stress.

The study further claims that around 52% of planners had enough time for a social life, whereas 44% said they had enough time for themselves. This shows how effective planning can be. In order to incorporate rest into your busy schedule, it’s a good idea to implement planning into your routine.

To start consider planning your week. Take some time out on Sunday, and write down the number of tasks you have to do in the upcoming week. Once that’s done, divide those tasks into every day of the week. Use this plan as your guide to stay on top of your tasks for the week.

Knowing what you have to do and being able to allocate time for each activity is one of my personal favourite ways to manage stressful days.

This also helps you to avoid scheduling your days too full and ensure that there is enough time for taking rest.