The mind is a powerful tool, and if you can learn to control your mind rather than let it control you, you are already halfway to living stress free. Of course, there are certain realities in life that are not going to change no matter what we think of them. That we only have a finite number of hours everyday is one of those realities.
Practicing meditation, relaxation and breathing each day will make sure that you are not adding to the stress in your life by perceiving threats where there are none. But at the same time it pays to cultivate real-world skills to make sure that actual stress is not taking over.
Firstly, never compromise your free time. You should defend the time where you are off work and free of responsibilities. Don’t think of your relaxation time as something extra and frivolous. Don’t think of it as a treat. Rather, remember that relaxation is vitally important and that if you want to be mentally, physically and emotionally well, you cannot afford to let other things encroach on your free time.
Beyond that, time management is nothing more than a skill that everyone can learn. If you constantly find yourself double-booked, unable to finish projects you thought you would be able to finish and rushing to squeeze in every errand, chances are you are overloading yourself. Go over your schedule and try to find things that don’t need to be done as often, or can be done by someone else. Instead of trying to cram everything in, ask whether you really need to do it in the first place. If you do, can it be done in a simpler way?
For example, many women kill themselves every evening trying to put together meals for their families. This easily eats up an hour or more of their time that could otherwise go to other pursuits. Don’t try to play catch-up – think instead of a way around the problem. Perhaps there are recipes and meals that can be prepared more quickly, perhaps you could hire someone once or twice a week to take care of it for you, perhaps you could get help from other family members, or perhaps you could incorporate ready-prepared elements into your cooking that are healthy yet take no time to assemble.
Time management is not about desperately trying to fit more into an already busy day. It’s about removing things that don’t need to be there and making sure you give time to the things that are important. If you prioritize a peaceful evening over a time-consuming homemade meal, then it makes sense to go ahead and get some (healthy) take out and spend the time you saved on relaxing with your family.