finding the quietly within the busy

It suddenly got busy busy here over the past month or so. And isn't letting up anytime soon. 

I have a whole stack of fun, super fun, kids crafty workshops booked in over the holidays. And all the prep work involved in that. (My boy said it wasn't fair that I would be working all holidays, I told him that's the reality for many many kids, and wasn't he lucky I didn't normally!).

Lots of Deadwood Creative happenings and organising and planning and prepping for upcoming busy market season. 

You know - all that sort busy-ness. Where it seems every day is much too short. And where is my {quietly} time? Oh where, Oh where.

So. Instead of drowning in the busy. I'm working out to to still find my quietly amongst it, and within it. Being busy and being frantic are different. Busy can be good, if it's controlled. Frantic is just horrible. 

Here's a few tips I'm working on to keep the quietly. To still be present here/now while being busy and getting it all done at the same time. 

~ make a list. Write everything on that list, including clothes washing (and maybe you'll even need to include wash your hair if that sort of thing drops off your timetable when you get extra busy!). Get it out of your head. That's really important. If you're thinking and overthinking everything too much, you'll be over there and not right here. 

~ stop. Even if for only 5 minutes. Put away your phone, computer, laptop, list. Put it all aside and just be. Sitting in the sunshine, outside with a cup of tea is sometimes the thing you need to do the most. Take a walk. Walk along your street, your country road, wherever you life. Find something to do outside of your busy. Yesterday my head was over-loaded and took a beautiful long walk on my own. I didn't think about my list or all the things or the mess at home to tidy. I sat at the creek and listened and tasted the water and heard the trees swishing and the birds calling and the butterflies fluttering. You can share that walk with me over here, if you want. 

~ be prepared and organised. I find I stress and become frantic is I don't prepare for all I need to do. I'm not the best at this, so it's something I have to work hard at. List making helps. 

~ breathe. breathe. breathe. This may sound silly, but to stop and take 3 active deep (through your nose, not mouth) breathes creates such a being here moment. Take 10 breathes if you want. Stop everything else for one minute and sit up straight and watch your breath. It's quite amazing what it does to you. 

~ turn off all the excess noise. I often work in quiet. No radio, music, tv, podcast in the background. Yeah sure, I'm lucky that I have birdsong to keep me company, but I find that when I have music or talking on endlessly in the background that I have too much happening filling my head. I'm trying to actively be part of the song/podcast, as well as the work in front of me, as well as what I'm doing tomorrow, as well as what I'll feed the kids for dinner.... You get the picture. Music is lovely, but silence is golden.

~ learn to say NO. This is a massive one for a lot of us. Opportunities come up and we want to grab hold of everything fun, and be part of everything. For me this is a big thing. I'm always putting my hand up to help out somewhere or other, to do another thing out of the home, or even a new project that I can do at home. yes i can do that, oh yeah of course, no problem. yep pile it on, i'll do that. Simply say thank you, I'd love to, but I can't fit that in this month/year. 

~ read bedtime stories to your kids. The busy can wait. The emails will still be there. Projects won't stop. But your kids, and that beautiful sweet ritual of lying with them at bedtime to encourage the love of stories that doesn't last long. If your kids are older - spend time with them. Make time. Busy can wait.

I want to thank those of you have been commenting on this little segment of my {quietly}. It really makes me so happy to know that these tiny words of mine are something for you. I'm so pleased to hear that you are taking moments for yourself and for your quietly to develop. I think your family, your work, your creative, your self will thank you for it.