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Some of us are busy people. We work at jobs that keep us hopping all
day long. After a long busy day, most people want to come home and
relax, right? Well there are those who come home and get started all
over again being busy. Here are a few tips to avoid extracurricular
activity burnout.
Are you busy because of yourself or your children? There is a
difference and there is a solution for both. The results of being too
busy no matter what the reason are the same: burnout.
If you feel like you are close to going over the edge, re-evaluate the
need for all of your extra activities. No one has to be superwoman
anymore. If you are a member of one committee at church, you don?t need
to chair another. The PTA will survive if you are not on the executive
board. Every event that the neighborhood hosts doesn?t need your
assistance. Too much to do usually means that something isn?t getting
done.
Write all of the activities down on a sheet of paper. Next to each,
list the reasons that you became involved in the first place. Be honest
with yourself. If it was to impress another person, then say so.
Eliminate the ones that were begun for all the wrong reasons. Choose no
more than three activities a week. If you have children, even three may
be too much. Being absent from the house every evening doesn?t leave
much time for family or closeness with your spouse.
Schedule your activities on the same night that the kids have their
practices. They don?t need to be at the same time, but this minimizes
the amount of time the family is out of the house. If everyone can take
a few days a week for extracurricular activities, then that leaves the
other evenings for family time.
If the cause of your imminent burnout is shuttling the kids from one
venue to another, get help. Organize a carpool with the other player?s
mothers. Each week, take turns carrying the entire group to practice.
If you need to, give your kids a limit on the number of activities they
can be involved in during the school year. Too many activities could
mean meltdown for them as well. During the summer, they can add on a
few extra activities since school will be out.
Getting involved in the community is great, but too much of a good
thing is bad for anyone. Sometimes, you may have to say ?No? when asked
to volunteer in order to keep your sanity and your family. Don?t lose
sight of one goal for another. Learn to balance your work, family, and
extracurricular activities.
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