All this week, The Morning Thing has been sharing some great advice from Ramsey Solutions.
As we start a New Year, we all think about how to improve our lives. It is normal to set resolutions or goals (or whatever you want to call them).
One of our biggest goals is to find balance in life.

Today, we shared 8 Signs that Your Life Is Too Busy.
Are you ready to take a truthful look at your schedule as you begin a new Year?

Click HERE to read the full article.

Here are the 8 Signs to look for:

1. You’re always trying to multitask.

So, what exactly can you do about it?

• Focus on one thing at a time. Here’s an idea: For one week, commit to doing only one thing at a time and see how much mental clarity that gives you.
• Leave your work at work. That means no checking emails or preparing for meetings when you’re at home. When you’re off, you need to act like it and start enjoying some peace in the afternoon and during the weekend.

2. You’re exhausted and overwhelmed. 

Here’s how:

• Make sleep a priority. Get seven to nine hours of sleep every single night. Research shows sleep deprivation is linked to increased stress, heart disease, cancer and even Alzheimer’s disease.³
• Total up the hours. You get 168 hours in a week. That’s it. Get out your calendar and do some math. Add up the time you spend sleeping, working and doing other essential tasks every week. Then, add up your extra commitments. Do you have enough time to get the sleep you need? If not, it’s time to make some changes.

3. You have to schedule things weeks in advance.

Here’s what to do about it:

• Schedule free time. When you sit down to plan your week or month, schedule free time to create margin. Don’t squeeze commitments in every hour of the day and every night of the week. Scheduling free time allows you to rest!
• Say no to being overcommitted. If you’ve got plans every weeknight, take a hard look at your calendar and see if there’s anything you can get off your plate to create more space for downtime.

4. You have a hard time focusing and enjoying the moment.

Here’s where you can start:

• Learn to control wandering thoughts. Here’s a challenge: Pause for a second and use your imagination to pretend there’s an elephant sitting in a metal folding chair across the room from you. Could you do it? If so, you just proved to yourself you can control your thoughts. So start doing it more consistently and intentionally!
• Read Redefining Anxiety. Mental health expert and Ramsey Personality Dr. John Delony wrote an 80-page Quick Read about anxiety—what it is and what it isn’t. If you struggle with racing thoughts and have difficulty enjoying the moment, you might also be dealing with anxiety. This book can help (and you can get through it in just a couple of hours).

5. You never take time off.

If you never prioritize rest, it’s probably time to . . .

• Step away from work. If you get PTO at work, use it! Plan a vacation (or staycation) to unwind and connect with your family. If you’re self-employed or have a nontraditional work schedule, talk to your spouse or a friend about creative ways you can take time off.
• Leave work at work. Yep, we did already talk about this one, but it’s that important. You’ve got to set this really important boundary.

6. You feel out of balance.

So, how can you find balance?

• Ask yourself, What is most important to me? The starting point to finding balance is knowing what’s most important so you can focus your time and energy on those things or people or tasks.
• Own your version of balance. Balance will look different for you than it will for your best friend, your coworker or even your spouse. That’s okay. In fact, that’s how it should be.

7. You feel guilty a lot of the time.

What to do about guilt:

• Understand where the guilt is coming from. A lot of the time, it doesn’t even come from other people. Dig deep into that feeling of guilt. Do you have ridiculous expectations of yourself? Do you feel over-the-top pressure at work? Are you trying to be a superhero? 

8. You’re filling your calendar with things you don’t even want to do.

That may include:

• Being honest with yourself. Pull out your calendar and take a look at every single thing you do throughout the week. Now answer this question honestly: Is this how you want to spend your time?
• Getting in touch with your motives. Why do you say yes to things you don’t want to do? It’s definitely good to want to serve others and be generous with your time, but you’ve got to be careful to say yes for the right reasons.