Let me just do this one last thing, then I can…
If you’re anything like me, you have either said–or more likely thought–the above line, followed by words like “Rest” or “Do that thing I really enjoy.”
Not just this month, or even this week, but sometime within the last 24 hours.
We’re all busy and, as the saying goes, usage will expand to meet capacity. Meaning that the more stuff we can get done, the more stuff there will be to do.
Here’s the thing–not the one more “Thing” that the title is referring to–but The Thing to realize is:
There will always be One more thing. Your To Do list will always have one more thing on it.
You will never be done.
Now that previous line can hit pretty hard. It hit me hard, even as I typed it–and I know what’s coming next. Take a moment, to process that thought. It’s a truth that’s tough to take in. You ready to go on? Ok. Here we go.
Realizing that you will never reach the end of your “To Do” list is freeing.
It’s a good thing.
First, and foremost, it means that you can let go off all of the pressure to DO ALL the Things.
You can’t.
It also means that you can forgive yourself for not succeeding at an impossible task.
You can (and should).
Finally it means that, since you know you’re not going to get it all done, you can start giving weight to the things you can get done. Make deliberate choices on what to spend your time on.
Self Care is on that list. Typically, it’s down by the bottom. Typically, we say to ourselves that once we get everything else taken care of–finally–we can start taking care of ourselves.
With the shift in mindset from doing all the things, to doing the things that matter you can start giving it the consideration it deserves.
Right now, some of you are thinking, “So what you’re telling me, is that all the stuff like housework, the day job, and anything I don’t particularly like to do, I can just let slide off the plate.”
Um…No.
Let’s take housework. Assuming that it’s not something you really enjoy doing, there will eventually reach a point where getting those dishes done, is important.
There’s a sliding scale involved here. Additionally, what I might find important, you might not give as much weight to. In the previous example, I used dishes deliberately. Having a clean kitchen is very important to me. So much so, that you can use the cleanliness level of my kitchen as a pretty accurate barometer of how I’m doing mentally.
Take a bit of time this week to look at what you’re spending your time on, think about what you’d like to be spending it on, and make some decisions about what is truly important to do right now.
Then go do that. The rest can wait.
Thanks for reading. Be safe out there. Be Excellent to Each other – and yourself.
I’ll see you on Thursday.
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