Stop Trying To Do It All

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you try to be everything to everybody. There’s an easy solution.

 

This is Day 9 of our 31 Ways to Get More Done series. To read all the posts in order, visit the introduction post to see the outline for the whole series.

You don’t have enough time to get everything done.

Sometimes you can find more efficient ways, ask someone else to help, or get creative to just get it done. Other times, you may simply need to let it go. Time is the most precious and limited resource we have. You can never create more of it. You can only use it differently.

Stop Trying To Do It All

In Say Goodbye to Survival Mode (affiliate link), Crystal suggested the following:

• Create a personal priorities list
• Clear the schedule clutter
• Cut out time and energy suckers
• Count the costs

Say Yes to the Best

My schedule had become cluttered with everyone else’s priorities, instead of my own.

In this season of my life, my personal priorities list includes being present for my children, being a supportive partner to my husband, and taking advantage of every opportunity I can to advance my career and finances.

Questions you may want to ask yourself:

Have I lost interest?

Can I afford it?

Is the project successful?

Am I good at it?

Is it a big time investment with a low return?

Is it a business I’ve invested in for more than three years that’s not returning a profit? (Not my suggestion – the IRS considers this a hobby if you have made a profit within three years.)

Examples of what you may consider dropping:

• clubs and organizations you don’t have time to participate in
• dead ends and rabbit trails
• pressure to sign up for every volunteer opportunity announced
• optional relationships that drain all of your energy
• multiple sports or extra-curricular activities (for you and your family)

Each time I am presented with an option, I “count the cost” by evaluating what I will have to say no to, if I say yes.

It’s been very liberating and freeing to take ownership of my priorities, schedule, and commitments. I wish I had know this a long time ago.

Resources (affiliate links):

Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives

Tell Your Time: How to Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free

Say Goodbye to Survival Mode: 9 Simple Strategies to Stress Less, Sleep More, and Restore Your Passion for Life

Additional Ways to Free Up Your Time:

Say Goodbye to Survival Mode {Book Review}

The Perfect Way to Say No

Tell Your Time {Book Review}

What can you drop to free up more time?

Read other posts in the 31 Ways to Get More Done series.

Original Photo Credit via Creative Commons License – spaghettipie