Schedule A 'Catch Up Day' To Finally Take Care Of Everything You've Put Off
There's no doubt that life can get busy. Whether you are struggling to find your work-life balance or are stressed with school and the demands of a thriving social life, that overwhelming feeling can grow. Before you know it, the less glamorous tasks of life that are easy to put off begin to pile up. What starts out as a mental to-do list in your head unfolds into a written list in your notes app that you tell yourself you'll tackle "eventually."
Unfortunately, certain phases of life can feel like you stepped on a treadmill and just can't get off. Trying to figure out how to squeeze in self-care during a busy work week can be even more stressful. While it may seem odd, clearing your schedule for an entire day to intentionally focus on tackling those tasks you've fallen behind on can be exactly what you need to de-stress.
There are many reasons why self-care days are great for brain health, but it's a common misconception that caring for yourself only involves pampering. In actuality, checking things off your list of chores will help you feel productive and bring so much mental clarity into your life. Instead of feeling stressed or bogged down by growing responsibilities, taking a day to catch up on life can make your entire demeanor much lighter.
Prioritize your productivity
The truth is, a catch-up day is centered around intentional productivity. Apartment Therapy explains that you shouldn't have any other obligations distracting you from checking items off your list. This could include catching up on laundry, changing your sheets, deep cleaning your kitchen and bathroom, or taking your car in for maintenance. Even updating your house decor, grocery shopping, or switching out your expired makeup for new products can all be things that continuously get postponed.
A catch-up day is not meant to be relaxing or leisurely. It's simply prioritizing the work that still needs to get done but isn't tied to an income. Oftentimes, it's easy to justify more relaxing forms of self-care when you have downtime, but putting the less glamorous parts of adulting on your calendar can actually help you enjoy your leisure time even more.
Similar to a well-planned morning routine, there are certain preparatory steps that are recommended in order for you to maximize your catch-up day.
Have a plan for your day
Beyond scheduling this day in your calendar and having a written list of the things you want to accomplish, prepping and organizing what you'll need beforehand will help you remain disciplined with your timeline. Setting an early alarm and getting up when it goes off will also give you the best chance of catching up on everything.
It can be easy to gently move about the day without much urgency, but before you know it, you'll be running out of daylight and barely accomplishing half of your to-do list. Life coach Rowena Mabbott explains that staying on top of life's responsibilities will always be easier than trying to play catch up once you're already behind. Therefore, creating healthy habits and implementing certain routines into your daily life can help you avoid putting things off for so long.
It's also a great idea to schedule a catch-up day in advance just in case life gets overwhelming. Planning for occasional tasks to slip through the cracks will create a safety net that acts as a built-in reprieve. Differentiating between personal and professional catch-up days can also help you extend that productivity and discipline into all areas of your life. Catch-up days can be extremely useful when used regularly, and you may actually find yourself feeling less stressed and more relaxed because of them.