When you say yes, yes, yes to too many things your schedule can become overwhelming. You may find yourself feeling too busy, stressed and spending time on things that don’t speak to your heart.
Your time is a precious commodity and it is limited. Giving yourself away to a cycle of being too busy can leave you feeling trapped and exhausted, without being able to see a way out. After all, you are the one everyone depends on. Right?
There comes a time when the toll busyness is taking on you is more than you can or want to handle. If you wait too long it may even make you ill or damage your relationships.
Remember, for everything you are saying yes to, you are saying no to something else. Choose carefully.
You CAN rightsize your calendar and fill it only with things that are meaningful to you. Here’s how:
Get Clear on What You Value Most
Clarity starts with a little soul searching about what is most important to you. Don’t worry. It’s worth it. Knowing what you value most creates a great foundation to build your life on. You can journal on this subject or do a core values exercise that will help you become clear. Simply choose the 5 things that matter most to you. You can get started with this free tool.
Compare Your Core Values to Your Calendar
Look carefully. Do you value time with your family, but keep yourself too busy to have it? Are you involved in organizations that are not aligned with your values? What about the members? Are they aligned too? Is there something you do that drains you when you value feeling peaceful? Are there better ways to spend time with your kids?
Put each item on your calendar under the microscope. You can rate them on a scale of 1-10 if you like or if there is something you are not sure about, write a list of pros and cons. Of course, you can always go straight to the source by asking: What does my heart want me to know about this?
Curate a Life Aligned with Your Values and Heart
It’s time to be ruthless with the items on your calendar. There may be resistance at first. You may feel you are needed or they can’t get along without you. You might let someone down or they might judge you for no longer being involved. Etc.
The truth is that most of the resistance that comes up will come from fear, not the truth. Challenge it. Believe me, I’ve felt irreplaceable many times only to be humbled by seeing that I wasn’t. Ask your kids which activities they enjoy the most. They might surprise you.
It’s not about giving up things. It’s about making conscious choices to do things that feel good and matter to you. Instead of being over busy and attending meetings or events that don’t serve you, you might prefer to use that time to:
- Read a good book
- Have family movie night
- Exercise
- Play with a hobby
- Learn something new
- See your children more relaxed and focused
- Feel more peaceful and aligned within
How you choose to use your time will impact every aspect of your life, so choose carefully. Make sure that what you do is aligned with what you truly value and not just staying busy.
You will be glad you did.
Extras
Journaling Prompts:
How can I curate a life that feels peaceful, meaningful and rightsized for me?
What does my heart want me to know about my schedule?
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