I remember reading this years ago and even when I knew it was true, I found myself arguing with it.
“I can get better at multitasking.”
“I can get more efficient.”
“I can hack this.”
Even that word “hack” gives us a clue to how we think about our lives and our priorities. It Assumes we can find the secret code that unlocks our potential. We’re attempting to be limitless and outside of time and space. This is not possible! This belief is that we can be all and do all. It just leads us to feel weaker and like we have failed when we do reach the end of our energy, skill, time, patience, etc.
A few thoughts to help you as you wrestle against this:
1. How do you make space for yourself to recharge? When you plan for rest, you are acknowledging your limits and believing in your value and worth no matter your productivity.
2. pay attention to the messages you’re receiving. Some of the mantras and encouragements we read can, in the end, be shaming if we don’t acknowledge our needs.
3. Don’t assume you can do it all or even most of it by yourself. We weren’t made to accomplish all of our goals alone. We are wired for connection.
So, assuming you ARE NOT limitless… how do you know what to focus your energy on? It all comes down to your values. We have to identify our values in order to prioritize.
Pick your top 3 to 5 values/priorities from the values list linked above and see how you can spend time daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly toward these priorities.
Examples:
Family time
daily around the dinner table
Weekly movie night
Monthly one on one time with each child
Yearly weekend or week away
