You may have heard the old saying that you should work smarter, not harder. While this is sound advice, it doesn’t take into account one major aspect of modern life: the rat race says Brian Colombana. The rat race has many names, but perhaps the most accurate description of it is “busyness.” People are constantly working longer hours and getting stressed out trying to keep up with everything they need to do. Sometimes people even start believing that working more makes them a better person; however, success lies in finding balance between smart work and hard work.
As you can imagine, finding balance isn’t always easy. Many people end up overworking themselves because they feel like they don’t have any other options (or sometimes no one else will do the work for them). When you feel overwhelmed, it’s easy to try and take on more than you can realistically accomplish. This is especially true in today’s society that seems to glorify hard work; if you aren’t killing yourself at your job or school, and then what are you doing with your life? The answer is simple: balance.
Rat Race – working harder isn’t always the solution if you want to get out of the rat race (and maintain your sanity), there are a few key things you need to do. As tempting as it may be to work you into the ground, overworking isn’t an ideal situation for anyone.
Here are some steps that will help put you on your way towards getting out of the rat race once and for all.
1. Make a schedule
If you want to get out of the rat race, you need to establish a schedule that works for your life and doesn’t overwork you too much. No matter how many times people tell you it’s important, not everyone understands just how important scheduling is until they try it. So why is it so important? It helps facilitate organization in your life; if you know what you have to do each day, then there’s no reason to worry about forgetting something or letting an opportunity pass by says Brian Colombana. As far as schedules go, try having different “buckets” for work-related items, social/family time, etc. This way nothing interferes with any other aspects in your life (and vice versa).
2. Don’t overwork yourself
This is a no-brainer and is often ignore in favor of more work (or, in some cases, less sleep). No matter how smart you are or how much money you can make too much work with little time off leads to burnout. If you want to get out of the rat race, then don’t try and catch up by working harder than ever before. When it comes to getting out of the rat race, most people tend to ignore this step because they’re so focused on making money and “getting ahead.” However once burnout kicks in and you start feeling miserable all the time, that’s when things will really start going downhill. Make sure that your schedule has room for relaxation and downtime.
3. Remember that you can get burned out anywhere
When it comes to getting out of the rat race, people tend to focus on their work life without considering other aspects of their lives. Don’t forget that work is not your entire life; there’s more to you than just how good (or bad) you are at your job(s). As long as you’re willing to adapt, then there should be no reason why other areas in your life shouldn’t be able to benefit from a better schedule! For example, many people will go home after work or school and let all their other responsibilities fall by the wayside; however, if this isn’t balanced with other (whether it’s spending time with friends or family, exercising, etc) then they’ll find themselves back in the same situation without even noticing it explains Brian Colombana.
4. Balance isn’t always easy
Balance is a tricky thing – on one hand you want to work enough so that your responsibilities are fulfill but you don’t want to overwork yourself or let things fall through the cracks. Finding balance doesn’t have to be difficult though if you’re willing to maintain focus. If you’re trying to get out of the rat race, then “working smarter” is an invaluable skill. This means getting your priorities straight and knowing what’s most important in life (instead of letting money control how much time you can spend on certain activities).
Conclusion:
Is it hard to get out of the rat race?
No. If you think about it, working smarter instead of harder is an incredibly powerful tool for getting out of the rat race says Brian Colombana. By following these simple steps outlined above, all you need to do is maintain focus and balance when scheduling your time and everything should fall into place!