Some people love being busy. They enjoy having meetings, going to concerts, and all kinds of activities to attend every week. It can be very easy to take on too much and become worn out. However, people can also learn to control the responsibilities that they take on and get their lives back on track.

Are you the kind of person who has trouble saying “no” when people ask you to do something? You might find yourself agreeing to do so many things that you have little time to rest, complete your homework, or study for tests. If you learn to choose the activities that are necessary, that you enjoy, or that help others, you can more easily decide which ones are important for you.

The first step is to learn how to make choices based on what you find is necessary and what is optional. For example, if you need to sleep a certain number of hours every night to avoid becoming overtired, be sure to include that in your schedule. Working too much can easily make people sick, but sleeping and eating well can help. Some activities, such as going to school, are beyond your control. However, you can be more flexible about optional activities, such as going to movies or the mall.

Once you know which activities are necessary and which ones are optional, you can work out a schedule that suits you. Many people find it useful to write out a daily timetable that they can put on their bulletin board or fridge. Start with the activities that you cannot change and then fit in the others if you can.

Keeping as close as possible to the schedule can be useful, but you should also be flexible when necessary. If special events or new activities come up, you might need to change your routine. However, keeping to a schedule as much as possible can help make life easier by relieving you of the need to make many daily decisions. Regular reminders of your schedule, either on paper or through electronic means such as pagers and cellphones, can help you get everything done.

Sometimes, other people might put pressure on you to take on more responsibilities. They might even criticize you if you are unable to finish everything on time. However, knowing why you have made your choices will help you to explain your decisions or possibly to change them if necessary. If you take on more responsibilities or let some of them go, you need to know why.

The amount of responsibility that you can handle depends on factors such as your personality and your health. If you know yourself, you can avoid the stress of taking on too much responsibility or learn better ways of managing the tasks that you have to complete; doing this will help you to keep your life on track, even with all of the responsibilities that you have.

Bibliography:

Klein, Sarah. “7 Reasons Working Too Much Is Bad For Your Health.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/28/overtime-work-hurts-health_n_1237941.html.

Misner, Ivan. “Lacking Motivation? Follow These Steps to Get Back on Track.”  https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/231895

Scott, Gini Graham. “Avoiding the Responsibility Trap.”  http://www.amanet.org/training/articles/the-Responsibility-Trap.aspx.

Wikihow.com. “How to Get Your Life Back on Track.” http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Your-Life-Back-on-Track.