From awesome careers to great families to interesting hobbies to beautiful, Pinterest-perfect houses, women these days seem to have it all. There really is no limit to what we can accomplish–both for ourselves and for our families. Yet, does all of this success come at a cost? Unfortunately, it certainly can. Here are four ways your overly busy schedule may be hurting your family.
Is Your Busy Schedule Hurting Your Family?
Your Relationships May Not Get the Attention that they Deserve
No matter how great we all are at multitasking, the truth is that every person only has 24 hours in their day. Once you fill them up, there simply isn’t room for more without kicking something else out. Sometimes it’s your health that suffers, which is bad enough, but more often than not it’s also your relationships with your friends and family that don’t get the attention they deserve.
When women are overly busy with work, volunteering or their children’s activities, they often end up missing out on the little things that make life really grand–such as taking their children to play at the park, stopping to jump in puddles, spontaneous date nights with their husband or spur of the moment girls’ nights out. Do this often enough and your relationships are sure to suffer as a result.
Your Mood is Likely to Suffer
Furthermore, it isn’t just the time that you don’t spend with your friends and family that is affected. Even the time you do spend with them can turn sour too. Women who are overly tired due to a busy schedule tend to be grouchier and more irritable. Then, even when they want to spend time with their loved ones, they often end up being not very pleasant to be around.
It Can Set a Bad Example for Your Children
Have you ever thought about what type of message you are sending your children with your busyness? Are you encouraging creativity and room for daydreaming, or do your kids also need to be entertained every minute of every day lest they get bored or lonely? It’s hard to relax and just be when you are constantly running from activity to activity, and many kids simply don’t know life any other way.
You May Not Notice Problems Until Its Too Late
Lastly, if one of your friends or family members were going through a rough time, would you even notice? Studies show that children who regularly eat dinner together with their family are far less likely to try drugs and alcohol. If you rarely have time to sit together as a family, you may miss any potential warning signs until it’s too late.
5 Signs Your Schedule is Too Full
Is Your Busy Schedule Affecting Your Children’s Behavior?
Turning down new opportunities can be very difficult, especially when they are great opportunities we’d love to pursue. At the end of the day, however, each of us have to decide which of our priorities is the most important and make sure that our top priority (hopefully, our friends and family!) is getting the attention that it deserves!
Do you feel like you are “too busy” lately? What are some things you could cut from your busy schedule?