How to set boundaries
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When the world feels heavy, staying focused can feel nearly impossible. Between constant news updates, emotionally charged conversations, and the pressure to keep life moving forward, it’s no wonder time management feels harder than usual. If you’ve been feeling distracted, exhausted, or unsure how to plan your days right now, you’re not alone.
In this episode, we’re talking about time management during stressful times and how to approach your days with care instead of pressure. This isn’t about pushing through or pretending everything is fine. It’s about supporting yourself, protecting your attention, and creating steadiness without expecting yourself to “stay strong” all the time.
Key Takeaways
- Learn how to approach time management during stressful times with compassion instead of force
- Understand how constant news consumption affects your focus and energy
- Discover how to create steadiness without ignoring your emotions
- Recognize why different stress responses are normal and valid
- Build a supportive approach to your days that reflects how you are wired
Why Time Management Feels Harder During Stressful Times
When the world feels uncertain or out of control, our nervous systems work overtime. Your brain is constantly scanning for information, threats, or updates, which makes it harder to concentrate, prioritize, and follow through on even simple tasks.
If you’ve been feeling scattered or unmotivated lately, that doesn’t mean you’re lazy or undisciplined. It means you’re human. Time management during stressful times requires a different approach than it does during calm or predictable seasons.
Instead of focusing on doing more, this season calls for something else entirely: support.
Holding Steady Does Not Mean Staying Strong
When we talk about steadiness, it’s important to clarify what that does and does not mean.
Holding steady does not mean pushing through at all costs.
It does not mean ignoring your feelings.
And it does not mean pretending everything is fine when it’s not.
Steadiness means giving yourself permission to feel what you feel while also creating enough structure so you don’t completely lose your footing. You are allowed to pause. You are allowed to fall apart a little. You are allowed to give yourself a minute.
Steady does not mean rigid. It means supported.
Start With Less, On Purpose
One of the most supportive shifts you can make right now is planning less on purpose.
Instead of asking, “How much can I fit in?” try asking, “What can I reasonably carry today?”
That might look like choosing one to three priorities instead of a long to-do list. It might mean letting “done” be enough or planning for your real days instead of your best ones.
This isn’t quitting. It’s paying attention. Time management during stressful times works best when your plans match your actual capacity.
Protect Your Attention From the News Cycle
Caring about what’s happening in the world matters. Staying informed matters. But constantly consuming the same information over and over again keeps your brain in a state of high alert.
Part of supporting yourself right now is being intentional about how you take in information. Choose one or two trusted news sources. Decide when you’ll check them. Decide when you’ll stop.
Staying informed does not require staying immersed. You are allowed to step away, even when the story isn’t over.
When the News Comes From People You Love
Sometimes the hardest information to step away from isn’t coming from a screen. It’s coming from family members, friends, coworkers, or group chats where everything feels urgent and emotionally charged.
These are people you care about. Their concerns may be valid. Their intentions may be good. And still, constant exposure can take a toll.
Limiting exposure doesn’t mean you don’t care. It doesn’t mean you disagree. It doesn’t mean you’re avoiding reality. It simply means you’re paying attention to how much input you can handle.
Boundaries don’t have to be dramatic to be effective. Sometimes they’re quiet. Sometimes they’re temporary. And sometimes they’re necessary.
Create One Daily Anchor
When everything feels unpredictable, having one steady thing you return to each day can make a huge difference.
This doesn’t need to be complicated or optimized. It just needs to be familiar and grounding.
A walk.
Quiet coffee.
Journaling.
Prayer.
Stepping outside for fresh air.
This isn’t about productivity. It’s about giving your nervous system something it can count on.
Make Room for a Positivity Outlet
If you’re taking in heavy information, it matters that you also make room for light. Not to ignore reality, but to remind yourself that it isn’t the whole story.
A positivity outlet is something that restores hope or joy without asking you to produce anything. This might be a comforting show, music that calms or energizes you, time outside, creating something with your hands, or connecting with someone who makes you laugh.
This isn’t toxic positivity. It’s emotional balance. You can care deeply and still make room for joy.
Knowing Yourself Matters More Than Any Strategy
The most important part of time management during stressful times is self-awareness. People respond to stress differently, especially stress that’s outside of their control.
Some people cope by doing more. Others cope by pulling inward. Some need movement. Others need rest.
If you see someone becoming incredibly productive right now and all you want to do is slow down, that doesn’t mean either of you is wrong. You’re just wired differently.
Productivity is not proof of resilience. Rest is not a sign of weakness. The goal isn’t to respond the “right” way. The goal is to support yourself well.
A Note for Business Owners
Recently, there’s been a lot of conversation about whether business owners should continue to show up, market their businesses, or operate as “business as usual” during hard seasons.
Here’s the truth: how someone shows up publicly doesn’t tell you what they care about privately. Continuing to work or market your business doesn’t mean you’re disconnected or in agreement with injustice. For some people, showing up consistently is how they maintain stability.
Others may need to pull back. Neither approach is wrong.
You don’t owe the internet a performance of your values. Authenticity matters more than optics. You’re allowed to respond in a way that supports you.
One Supportive Step to Try This Week
Before you plan the next few days, ask yourself this question:
What would support look like for me right now?
Choose one priority.
Choose one grounding habit.
Choose one small source of light.
Let the rest be optional.
You’re not falling behind. You’re adjusting.
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