Sunday Chronicles: Speeding Up

a woman in an exercise dress and sneakers running on a trail

Has anyone else felt aid things have sped up all of a sudden? And yes, the world is so much more open than it’s been in the past few years, and yes, I’m adjusting to that. And yes, this time of year is always packed-between birthdays, graduations, and the beginning of wedding season. Every day in May I know someone who’s birthday it is- and we’re talking about personal relationships, not just acquaintances. It’s a busy time of year and we all have a ton going on.

Yet, it feels that things are speeding up, above and beyond all the reasons listed above. Being busy and having plans is great, and yes, after a few years I’m excited to see my friends and do things.

But.

When things speed up, especially when they seem to speed up incredibly quickly, I can get a bit anxious. I want to do ALL the things, but I’m also one of those that needs alone time. I want to get my work done and grow, but I don’t want to do rushed work. In all honesty, I’m also still incredibly overtired, from being ill this January, from all the things, from speeding up. So, while I want all the plans and the growth, as things speed up, I’m trying to balance the speed with rest. Balance doing all the things with doing all the things well, spending time with everyone and making sure that it’s quality time.

Balance, especially when it involves finding the right speed can be difficult. Or it is for me.

In general, I think that we are all obsessed with speed. We like things fast, now, and hate waiting. My impatience feels that. And as speed is something that we can measure, speed – or how fast things are happening or others or how fast others can go- is an easy way to compare ourselves to others. And we know what they say about comparison (it’s the thief of joy).

I’m aware of all of this, and am also aware that when things speed up I put a lot of pressure on myself to do all the things. Which makes the balance much more difficult. So, these are a few things that I’m doing to make sure that I’m both speeding up and going at a pace that works for me:

-I’m scheduling down days. For me, I’m still needing more days off than I normally would and instead of judging that, I’m attempting to give myself what I need. This means there are times I say no to plans, times I rest instead of working out, and times when I occasionally ask for more time on projects.

-I’m trying to say “yes” to the plans that really excite me or serve a purpose. And while there are events that I can’t say “no” to, I’m attempting to be incredibly intentional with my schedule so that when I’m running around it’s fun- not a chore.

-I’m going with the flow as much as I can. Sometimes that means having to cancel. Sometimes that means saying yes at the last minute. Much of the time, it means listening to what I need, making sure I have buffer time, and trying to not feel guilty for any of it.

Both the speed and the balance are works in progress.

How are you dealing with things speeding up? Do you need to schedule down time or are you adjusting well? I would love to hear all your tips and how you do your schedule!

Wishing us all a week of appropriate speed and amazing shoes! XO RA