Day 19 – Fewer Commitments

I’m still not sure when being busy stopped being a burden and became a status symbol. It seems like everyone is walking around saying look how busy I am, look how many hours I work, look how much my kids are doing, look, look, look.

But when I look at what being so busy actually means it doesn’t look so great. I see disconnected people rushing around trying to build up some sort of online persona and not being present in their lives.

To live your life fully and to experience deep happiness, you have to let go of trying to do it all and instead place your feet on the ground and say this is where I stand. This is my life and I’m not ashamed by it’s limitations, but instead I am inspired by it’s depth.

So how do we stop?

Well the easiest way to stop over committing is to do less, but of course, it’s hard to choose. So how do you decide what to invest you energy into and what to skip?

Well here are some simple questions I use to help me decide what commitments I should invest my time into

1. When am I going to do it?

Before you commit to anything, take out your calendar and ask yourself when you’re going to do it. It’s easy to say you’ll start working out, cleaning your house, or read more, but it’s much harder to schedule the time.

Nothing is real until it’s on your calendar, so don’t commit unless you can clearly see when you’ll find the time.

2. Why do you want to do this?

Sometimes you want to do things because they sound cool or would look cool to others. And while these aren’t bad reasons, they aren’t great reasons either.

Make sure you’re doing something because it matters or it will help you grow as a person. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to do this?” and really think about the answer.

3. Is this your work?

There are alot of important things that need to be done. But it’s not your job to do it all. Sometimes it’s better to step aside and let someone else take the lead.

When you’re confronted with an opportunity ask yourself is this the work I’m meant to do. And if it’s not, say no, even if the work is important.

4. What are you willing to give up?

Every commitment requires sacrifice. It may seem like you can just squeeze an extra hour out here or there, but that’s rarely the case. Things always take longer and require more energy than you expect.

So before you commit ask yourself, “What are I willing to give up?” If you’re willing to sacrifice, then it’s probably worth it. But if you think you’re just going to add it on, let it go.

5. Is it aligned with your mission?

Finally, there are alot of things you can do that you’re good at and are important, but they may not be aligned with your mission for your business or in life.

So especially before you make a big commitment, revisit you mission and really think, “Is this a support or a distraction?”

Challenge:

Practice –

Choose one commitment you have in your life and run it through the list of questions writing down you answers

Reflect –

Now take a few minutes and look over these answers

    • What do they reveal about this commitment?
    • Is this something you should really do?
    • If so, what things will you give up if it becomes more involved?
    • Does this change your perspective on other commitments you’ve made?
    • Will these questions change how you look at future commitments?

Share –

Finally share in one or more the following ways
Blog – Write a post about your answers to these questions or your experience of this challenge.
Post – Using #30dayhappy and/or sharing in our face book group. Share the commitment you examined and whether you’re going to stick with it or not and why
Comment – Feel overcommitted? Not sure, this technique will work for you. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

One thought on “Day 19 – Fewer Commitments

  1. This is a timely reminder as I go from work straight to a meeting and won’t hit home ’till near bed time. I find myself in a time of over commitment, but feel it’s too late to say ‘no’. So I push on and look forward to 8 weeks from now when the commitment will wind down. When this challenge is an important action to do, I find only enough time to read and think about the message, little time to write. Perhaps I can pick it up and write when my major commitment ends.

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