Why is it some people can effortlessly get things done and are always prepared ahead of time while others (like me) get stressed out at the last minute?

I think back to a trip I took with my husband. When we were packing (mind you, he packed most things a week in advance), he was easily folding and putting things in his suitcase and I was racing around up to the attic and going through the closets to find my stuff. When we got to the airport, why was he not paying the extra $50.00 because his suitcase was overweight? And when we got to the hotel, why does he not have nine pair of shoes lined up in the hotel room? I over packed…again. I won’t even tell you about our first trip away, but I will tell you that one moment I had my passport in my hand and the next it was gone. Talk about stress!

It’s kind of a phenomenon for some of us. We get stressed out, while others remain calm. I’ve always wanted to be the calm one but I continually find myself being the stressed one. This got me thinking: why am I this way? I want to be composed, easily pack, and be ready ahead of time before the driver shows up to drive us to the airport.

I was curious and I wanted to find the answer for myself, so I decided to observe and talk to people who I thought were always cool, calm and collected and see what they did. Here is what I learned and what I hope to put into practice immediately to bring more peace and calm into my life; maybe it can help you too:

• They know what they need to do and they do it. They keep a list and then they schedule when they will do things.
• They stay focused on the task and finish what they started.
• They have a great sense of time and use it accordingly (meaning, they don’t waste the time they have designated running off to do another thing while they are in the middle of doing something else).
• They are organized.
• They say ‘no’ and mean it. (My husband does this well, much to my annoyance especially when I want him to do something.)

There are two things that I know I will struggle with. The first is using time accordingly – I hate to admit it but I have that Bright Shiny Object Syndrome and often will start on thing in one room and then find myself in another room doing something completely different. Then the next thing I know, I have to move on to something else and the only thing I’ve managed to do is make a mess and cause myself stress! The second is saying ‘no’.

Yet, as I write this I think, what if I embrace saying ‘no’ to all the nonsense I do that brings me stress? Could it be that by saying no to stress I will be saying yes to calm? I don’t know, but I sure am willing to give it a try!