By Adrianna G. Bevilaqua

Just last week I was on the road for work shuffling through an airport with my Bluetooth on as I tried to dial into a conference call.  I kept trying to remember that dang access code as I toggled between the screen of my outlook, which stored my dial in number, and the actual keypad where I could enter the number. As I approached my Delta gate I saw one of my co-workers was eating gelato and reading the New York Times. As I sat down and ripped open a Luna bar I felt overwhelmingly self-conscious. I had become so proficient at hyper-tasking that somewhere along the line I crossed over to spastic.

In a world moving at the speed of light, it’s no surprise that many of us get swept up in the current. But how do you find your way back to “sure” and get grounded when the universe continues to accelerate around you? I have observed some of the more grounded (and wonderful) people I know to steal their hacks for giving themselves a minute while still giving their all to the people and things they love most.

KILL 2 (or 3) BIRDS WITH 1 STONE: Consider integrating socializing in with other things that make you feel great. A friend, Briana Redman who works with me at DeVries Global and always comes from a place of yes, told me that instead of scheduling endless summer happy hours with contacts, she’s trying out new activities. Recently she took a colleague to an aquatic aerobics class, and they laughed all the way through it. So instead of scheduling three things—a workout, a happy hour, and an activity she’s been dying to try, Briana has combined all three. Well played.

RESET YOUR “COMPASS”: Recently I was listening to a presentation about “want-it-all women” – a demographic of busy women in their 30s that want happiness at home, at work and with their friends. One of the speakers said that the want-it-all-woman’s smart phone was her compass, guiding her through life. The reference made me want to chuck my phone into one of the rivers of Manhattan. I sought some advice from my always zen-friend Carolina Santos-Neves, Chef & Managing Partner at Comodo and Colonia Verde. She recommended simply putting your phone out of sight. At night, let it charge in another room while you recharge and avoid using it as an alarm clock so it doesn’t become the last or first thing you see.

EMBRACE UNSTRUCTURED PLAY: I’ve learned an important lesson from my husband: Having nothing to do doesn’t mean you do nothing. It just means you don’t have an outlook calendar stacked on the weekend as if you only have 24 hours left on the planet. By adopting my hubby’s rule of “unstructured play” on the weekends, I come back from the weekend feeling refreshed versus over-scheduled. Take for example a simple trip to Home Depot. Instead of scheduling a trip to pick things up for the house, we stumbled in one day on a whim and decided we would add flower boxes to our balcony. What could have felt like a chore became a delight.

BRING IT IN: I read somewhere that staying in is the new going out. While reading this I smugly thought whoever wrote it doesn’t live someplace where it’s worth going out! I have since changed my tune. Even as a New Yorker, there’s something liberating about living in a place of infinite possibilities and making the simple choice that where you want to be is exactly where you are. But to avoid becoming a pariah, next time you’re making plans with a friend suggest hanging in together instead of going out. There is something so easy and awesome about having a good friend over to watch The Leftovers on Sunday night while taking down a row of Thin Mints together.

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