What is your tipping point? The straw the broke the back? Most of us will say we are great multi-taskers, handling personal life, work, family, friends and so on. But the truth is today, maybe more than ever, it’s very easy to overdo it and get overwhelmed. Never have we had so much information to consume, so many revenue streams to make ends meet, so many connection points to maintain, and so much pressure to reinvent, upgrade, and evolve. It’s exhausting! It’s time to get honest...you can’t do everything, successf...
What is your tipping point? The straw the broke the back? Most of us will say we are great multi-taskers, handling personal life, work, family, friends and so on. But the truth is today, maybe more than ever, it’s very easy to overdo it and get overwhelmed. Never have we had so much information to consume, so many revenue streams to make ends meet, so many connection points to maintain, and so much pressure to reinvent, upgrade, and evolve. It’s exhausting! It’s time to get honest...you can’t do everything, successfully! Ready to examine what’s filling your plate and dragging you down?
So what has your bogged down? Can you put your finger on IT? Maybe it isn’t just one thing but a collection of too many yes’ and commitments you made to be the hero, only to find out your human. Some of us just can’t say NO. Maybe it’s believing we have more time and ability than we actually do and maybe it’s because we just don’t want to disappoint anyone.
Getting to the breaking point can be easier than you think.
It’s kind of funny that I'm doing a show on ways to organize the pressure and the feeling of being overwhelmed. I tend to feel this way often and even though I’m self-aware and understand the steps to make a change, I don’t. I’m in a season in my life that many of you can identify with, trying to make something happen. I have a lot of irons in the fire because I’m passionate about so many things and I want to see them all successfully growing. My justification to myself is this is only temporary and once I hit this milestone or that milestone I will ease off the throttle and let life coast a bit. But is that really true?
The fact is, I enjoy being busy. I enjoy managing a lot of fun projects and seeing the fruits of my labor. To me, this new schedule or phase of life is my source of entertainment. BUT…...at what price?
As I add more to my plate, what happens to the crumbs? Do they get pushed off to concentrate on the bigger portion or do you just keep loading it up?
It’s easy to put the same weight and level of priority on everything in front of us. We make lists, set alarms, create reminders, and have mini command centers everywhere we land. It feels good to cross things off and end our day with a completed list...but does that really ever happen. What happens when it doesn’t? It creates another layer of leftovers that get added to today’s list and before you know it, you are far behind. OVERWHELMED!
So what do we do in the midst of all this….we grab our phone and check social media to consume even more! The one moment in the day when we could breathe, meditate, wonder, or relax and we just can’t take it. We want more, more, more!
And it’s not just the internet. We are bombarded every day in every way by data that demands our attention. Signs, blinking, flashing, BIG Signs, talking signs, bumper stickers, decals, brochures, flyers, catalogs, handouts, newsletters, blogs, magazines, newspapers…..the list just goes on and on.
As consumers, we love the convenience and fail to realize the implications of never getting a mental break.
Unplug. Not every hour of every day but DO make a conscious effort to limit your intake. Go on a data diet and push back from the computer and put down the phone. Get outside and instead of grabbing the earbuds to occupy your mind with music, a podcast, or book…..listen to nature. Think, wonder, imagine, and give your brain the much-needed break it’s longing for.
Never getting through it all or carrying too much of it around we feel behind and overwhelmed. Why are we feeling responsible and as a result, disappointed in our assumed performance? Letting go of this lifestyle is as much about the act of consuming as it is the guilt of not.
Whether it’s life, health, business, or personal relationships - let’s adopt, all I can do is what I can do and that’s enough. Many of your spinning plates will run idle until you can get to them and some will not. Evaluate those and decide if they are a must-have in your world.
- Do you have control over the situation
- Does this activity give you comfort, provide for your necessities, or bring you joy?
- Do you have the timing right?
Where you can, downsize and consolidate your plates so that you can easily manage what you have? It’s true, during certain seasons of our lives we have more control and at others, it seems to get the best of us. Today we are becoming aware of the situation and that’s a positive step in the right direction. Being self-aware means you have the space and time to consider all your options. Timing is everything and when the timing is right, it’s best to streamline and take control. Your brain will thank you, your family, friends, and co-workers will appreciate your new-found freedom, and life will get just a little more fun and enjoyable.
CHALLENGE: When you get the pangs of discomfort, evaluate your todo list to find which plates might be unseasonably placed. Only do what you can do and let that be enough. Full throttle has its place but only in the straightaways.
I Know YOU Can Do It!
