How to Stop Feeling Rushed
Written by Laura Farr
Do you feel rushed most of your day?
If so, you’re not alone. That’s exactly how I felt too!
It was almost like “feeling rushed” was the default setting for my day. As soon as I woke up, I had so much to do and so little time that the only way to get everything done was to “hurry up” and rush through life.
Why did I think feeling rushed was somehow serving me? It clearly wasn’t.
One morning I’d had it! I didn’t WANT to feel rushed anymore! Wasn’t there a way to still be productive and get what mattered most done that day WITHOUT feeling unorganized, frantic, overwhelmed and rushed?
With trial and error and lots of practice I discovered that I could change that default setting of feeling rushed to something else. Something that I really wanted to feel and something that would help my “best self” show up in the world. And let me tell you, life is SO much sweeter now that I’m not constantly feeling rushed.
Because let’s face it, feeling rushed isn’t serving you, your family, your creative work or others around you.
I want to remind you that you can still do things quickly, be productive and accomplish what matters most to you WITHOUT feeling rushed! Here’s how:
3 ways to Stop Feeling Rushed
1. Decide how you DO want to feel
If you’re tired of feeling rushed then how DO you want to feel instead? Come up with a new word or feeling that you actually want to feel. Something you could replace that feeling of rushed with. Do any of these sound nice?
Peaceful
Organized
Confident
Relaxed
Like there’s plenty of time (aka not rushed!)
Something else
Once you’ve found the feeling you want to replace “feeling rushed” with now is the time to put it into practice.
The easiest way Kristin and I have found to create a new thought or feel something different is by creating a personal mantra. You can grab our free create your own mantra workbook here so you can get started on creating a mantra that speaks to you!
Kristin uses her personal mantra “I have as much time as I need” to help her feel capable that she can get all her work done in the time allotted instead of feeling rushed that day.
2. Create a “rush free” morning
One of the best ways I’ve found to stop feeling rushed is by making sure that I don’t start my day out that way! Unless you’re a fire fighter, there’s no reason for you to jump out of bed feeling rushed!
The best way to create a “rush free” morning is to think of the feeling you want to feel instead (peaceful, organized etc) and then see how you could achieve that feeling first thing in the morning.
What would NOT feeling rushed in the morning look like for you?
Maybe it looks like one of these:
Plan better the night before (take a shower at night, prep lunches, write your to do list, clean the kitchen, set your priority for the day, go to bed earlier, etc.)
Wake up a tad earlier
Start your day with a spiritual practice, a 5 minute guided meditation, stretching/yoga or focusing on your breath
Set an intention or repeat your personal mantra (how you want to feel instead of feeling rushed)
Read, journal out your thoughts, go for a quick walk, exercise
Listen to soothing music, drink a cup of tea, have breakfast, or any way that helps you start your day feeling the way you actually want to feel
Having some kind of morning routine that helps you start your day out how you want to feel is going to make all the difference!
3. Remind yourself how you want to feel
So if you know how you WANT to feel instead of feeling rushed and you already started your morning out feeling that way, then you are set… well, almost!
Starting your day off not feeling rushed is such a great start. The only problem is that sometimes (okay a lot of times) our days don’t go as planned. Things come up in the middle of the day that we didn’t expect and one tiny little thing can sometimes throw us back into that “feeling rushed” mindset.
That’s why it’s so important to have some kind of tool that redirects yourself or reminds yourself of how you do want to feel and to choose that feeling instead.
This is the perfect time to start practicing your personal mantra or reminding yourself of the intention you set at the beginning of the day.
This could look like doing a 30 second check-in. Just taking 30 seconds to close your eyes, relax your face, relax your shoulders, take a few deep breaths and just be still.
It’s okay if you start feeling rushed around 1pm, 5pm or whenever. The important thing to remember is that it’s a choice!
There will be times in your day that you need to do things quickly, but there’s really no need for you to feel frantic or rushed. Just think of a soccer player or a surgeon. They may need to make decisions quickly or take action right away, but they can still do it without feeling rushed. Plus they’re more likely to make a mistake if they are feeling rushed.
A few extra ways to stop feeling rushed
Schedule in buffer time - Sometimes we feel rushed because we are actually rushed, or just short on time. We always seem to think we can get 20 things done in 20 minutes. It never works out that way. That’s why it’s so great to schedule in buffer time (5, 15, 30 minutes extra) in between activities or tasks. This way if you run into traffic on your way to an appointment, or your little one spills juice all over their shirt; it’s not a problem, because you’ve scheduled in extra time.
Try batching instead of multitasking or switching in between tasks - I don’t know why we think multitasking is super productive. It usually isn’t. Instead try batching. This just means doing similar tasks together (planning your meals for the week, recording 3 podcast episodes, doing all the laundry at once, prepping all meals, etc) Our brains work better when we can focus on one task at a time. If you don’t believe me, just try it out today. Anytime you get distracted try to keep focusing on the first task you were working on.
Try a 10 minute reset - Giving yourself a little break in the middle of the day or whenever you feel stressed, overwhelmed or exhausted can really help you feel less rushed. A 10 minute reset is just reconnecting with yourself for 10 minutes. It could look like laying on the ground, closing your eyes, listening to music or a guided mediation and just being still. You will be so amazed by how energized you’ll feel. You’ll have more clarity and find yourself being less likely to snap at someone or rush off to your next task.
Where to start?
Don’t worry, you don’t have to come up with a brand new morning routine or change your whole thought process today.
To get started all you need to do to start feeling less rushed is to just notice every time that you are FEELING rushed throughout your day.
You don’t need to take any action yet, I just want you to go about your day observing.
Notice when you feel the most rushed. Is it a certain time of day (morning, afternoon, dinner time)? Is it after you’ve spent a lot of time on your phone? Just notice when or why you are feeling that way and what would you like to feel instead. This will get you headed in the right direction, then you can always come back to this post when you’re wanting to implement the other steps.
Be sure to bookmark this post or save it to your pins for easy access.
Want your own personal mantra?
Don’t forget to grab our FREE Create Your Own Mantra Workbook to get you started on creating a mantra that speaks to you.
The best part is you can reuse it as many times as you’d like so you always have a mantra that speaks to you!
