Last week I wrote about the importance of controlling what you can. I know this concept, setting priorities to control what you can, can feel hard. There is so much on all of our plates, so many balls in the air to juggle, that all of it feels important and urgent. It’s hard to know where to start.
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Here’s where: What will you quit?
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Because you’re right, there’s too much to do, and not enough support available to most of us these days to get it all done. Something has to give.
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I also recognize that you may be thinking, “this is easier said than done.” But is it? I actually think that when you get super clear on your priorities, figuring out what’s not important (and what gets cut) becomes simple. You can refer back to my set of priorities for inspiration, but I definitely encourage you to name and claim yours. Time is so precious, and with the pace of these wildly digital times, and with ever less access to support systems, we must make cuts. I caution that if you don’t, at the rate things are going, we’re going to be talking more and more about true debilitating and painful burnout. The kind of burnout that one doesn’t bounce back from after a nap or a weekend. Or even after a vacation. It’s no joke.
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So again, I ask: What will you put on your Quit List?
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Here are some things I’ve quit:
The biggest one, and one that is always in rotation but getting honed right now: Saying yes. If it’s not in alignment with my current top priorities, it’s a no for me for now. A lot of people tell me that saying no is too hard for them, and I get it. It used to be really painful for me too. But what my nana used to say is true: “People don’t like it at first when you say no, but they get used to it.” I recently had a friend say: ‘I love it when you say no to me. I never worry you’ll say a resentful yes, and it’s such a good reminder that I can too.’ Clear is kind.
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Other items off my list to give you inspo for your own Quit List: