We live in a fast-paced world of microwaves, fast-food and fast cars; every day we encounter people who seem to be living on the fast lane. In fact, you are considered too slow if you do not ‘catch-up’ or meet some expectations. This can cause enormous pressure on you sometimes as you try to keep appearances as well as schedules.

Doctors are expected to perform surgeries at record time and still have time for a game with the boys; executives are required to make smart decisions, sign huge deals and still attend their children’s school play or PTA meetings. Pastors are expected to prepare sermon notes, counsel their teeming congregation, attend out-of-state functions and still be home for dinner. Time no longer seems enough. 24 hours now seems like 2 hours 40 minutes and demands keep piling up. Where do you begin?

Sometimes, our desire to “catch-up” exposes us to unhealthy patterns physically, mentally and emotionally – we make mistakes, we make wrong decisions, we stop thinking creatively, etc. when this happens, we feel guilty and pressured to perform and the cycle continues. It is a vicious cycle that leads nowhere good. How then do we keep up with the everyday demands and still come out on top?

Here are a few things to do to help you slow down and still stay ahead:

Prioritise: A lot of people react to challenges instead of choosing what to do ahead of time. A wise person once said “choose your fights carefully”. We understand that as long as we are alive, pressures will be placed and demands will be made of us from work, family, peers, and even from people we do not know. Then when these demands come, wisdom demands that we choose the ones that are important. You can only know what is important based on the values you set for your life.

Leave out the non-essentials: After you have chosen what is important, you should be emotionally stable to understand that you cannot respond to every demand. Some people will try to force you to treat what is important to them which is not important to you; scale such demands based on the big picture by answering the following questions: Is this request important to me? Is it important to our organization? What are the consequences of not meeting this demand? This should help you filter the non-essentials.

Delegate: The art of delegation is used by executives of organizations and as the chief executive officer of your life, do not be afraid to ask others to help you handle some daily demands, like sending some money to a friend and requesting that she help you pay the bills or asking a colleague to help you cross-check a report. This helps you focus on the things that really matter to you.

Move on: Some times, while trying to prioritize and delegate, a few essential tasks will fall through the cracks. You may forget to send an important mail or visit a close friend and this can make you beat yourself up and feel let down. Acknowledge your mistake and move on. Do not dwell on a failure for too long, else it robs you of the energy to carry out future tasks.

After you have done all this to slow down, try to enjoy your life as much as you can.