Stress Part III: Time, Time, Time...

People often think the answer to their problems, or at least their stressors, would be more time. If I had more time, I would exercise more, plan healthier meals, read more, etc.

The funny thing is that already nine years into the 21st century and we have more things today that help us save time than our parents did when they were our age.

I the 1970s and 80s we had two phones in the house (and had no idea who was calling). No phone went with us to the store. My mother hand wrote letters, birthday cards, and invitations and my brother and I had to write thank you cards. They generally took a week to get there. We took turns having to open the garage door for the one family car. We didn’t go out to dinner more than once every month or two. And most startling of all: we had one television and NO cable and NO computer. How on earth did we survive without cell phones, email, garage door openers, programs to balance our checkbook and pay our bills?

Now if my mother had time to do all those things, feed us dinner, correspond regularly with family by hand and snail mail, and be present at my school on a unnerving regular basis, and work, then how come she had time to do it all and without the "time savers" we seem to have today.

Unfortunately the “time savers” have increased the stress in our lives, in addition to all those things we “have” to do.

I often tell people, as long as “American Idol” or “Dancing With the Stars” is the number one show on television, trust me, you definitely have time to ______ .

I have suggestions for people to help lower stress levels. First you have to step back a bit and really determine what is important to YOU. For example, I do really like TV, but have decided that I am "allowed" one 60-minute TV show a night in addition to the 60 minutes of local and national news. For example, I used to be a fan of CSI: NY, but when Pushing Daisies came along on the same night I had to choose. Now ABC is moving Life on Mars to Wednesdays, but it looks like Pushing Daisies may be gone. I have to choose a show on Wednesday and I don’t get two hours.

I have other priorities, including maintaining a healthy happy home. It is tough, but I have found by limiting things like television shows that do not enrich my life, have cut down on me being stressed on other things because I have TIME for other things.

Another thing I do around maintaining my home: instead of tackling the cleaning on a Saturday or Sunday in a massive 2-3 hour block, I have split it up into 30 minute bits Monday through Thursday. Usually it comes down to two chores each night that are scheduled for 15 minutes each – such as cleaning the bathroom and dust bedroom. Generally they don’t take 15 minutes anymore, but I can usually to it during the TV show I’m watching (the dusting) or during the commercials (the bathroom). Come the weekend the only thing left is the laundry and that’s a family chore. Since it is the family’s laundry, all three of us are there when it comes out of the dryer to sort, fold and put away.

Major points on time management to ease stress:

1. Prioritize and eliminate the unnecessary – how much reali-tv to you need?
2. Spread it out – it is less tiring to do 20 – 30 minutes of cleaning than 2 – 3 hours!
3. Make sure the whole family helps – especially when it is their stuff.

Think about it - even if you don't act on all of it.
Maybe stop watching that TV show you really aren't interested in anymore?
Or clean dust the living room while you do watch it?
It will be one less thing you have to do later!