In today’s world, just about everyone is busy, more or less constantly, for a whole range of different reasons.

If you are a parent, in particular, you are bound to feel rushed off your feet at least part of the time – and especially if you are a parent to young children.

There are all sorts of different responsibilities that may have to be handled, ranging from things like intricate workplace projects, to good financial management practices, to maintaining an awareness of local news and legalities, to dealing with home maintenance, keeping an eye on your kids education, grocery shopping, and much more besides.

In the light of all this complexity and chaos, it can seem as though the only way to push through is to be hyper-alert and organised at all times, and to make sure that you never end up in a situation where you let yourself “slip.”

Whether you are investigating coloured cladding for a home renovation project, or are dealing with your budget for the coming months, however, it may be that one of the best things you can do in order to more effectively manage a hectic life, is actually to relax a bit more.

Here’s how relaxing a bit more can help you to manage your hectic life, even if the idea seems counterintuitive.

By reducing the amount of internal resistance and conflict you feel

Have you noticed that you sometimes find it just about impossible to muster the willpower to get something done, even though you know that you need to?

One thing that this phenomenon clearly implies – and this is something that psychologists have observed as well – is that we don’t just have one unified inner “will,” but actually all have a variety of different inner “wills.

In other words, different parts of your psyche want different things, and the more you tyrannise yourself and try to ruthlessly “lay down the law,” the more you magnify the amount of internal resistance and conflict you feel.

One consequence of this is that if you are too strict with constantly trying to be productive and organised, there’s a good chance that you will end up feeling more and more jaded, frustrated, and conflicted, with the result being that you find it harder to actually get things done, and struggle with consistency as a result.

Actually allowing yourself to relax a bit more, and to let go of the need to be totally in control of things at all times, can help you to feel more centred and balanced.

By helping you to see the bigger picture more effectively

Generally speaking, trying to be hyper-organised involves being hyper-focused – and when we are extremely focused on a particular and narrow area, we lose a sense of perspective and don’t have much of what could be called a “big picture” overview.

Clearly, though, this is a real problem. Because in life as a whole – and as a parent in particular – there are many more things going on at any one time than you’ll be able to handle with a narrow focus. Seeing the big picture is essential for allowing you to deal with the complex subjects that demand your attention on an everyday basis.

Relaxing a bit more can help you to step back and notice patterns and trends that you might well have not seen when you were so locked into maximising how you spend every minute of the day.

By allowing you to appreciate the little things

Although there are always going to be assorted struggles, hardships, and frustrations in life – there will also always be little blessings to appreciate and enjoy over the course of everyday life.

The thing, however, is that it’s likely going to be very difficult for you to notice and appreciate those little details if you are totally stressed out and distracted all the time.

In order to avoid rushing through life blindly, it’s essential to be able to take a deep breath and calm down from time to time, so that you can slow down and notice and appreciate the stuff that can help to bring a smile to your face even when you’ve got a lot on your mind.

Maybe this means taking a moment to sit with a cup of coffee and appreciate the sunrise. Or, maybe it means spending a few minutes reading a good novel before bed.

Either way, you might need to relax a bit more in order to really notice and appreciate these things fully.