Overwhelm has been a major element of the last few months, and there’s no real end in sight. Burnout is a real risk, so looking after yourself is vitally important – and part of that includes your mindset when it comes to looking at the size of that “in-tray”. Not getting enough done is always in the back of our minds.
Here are three common questions around having too much to do and some things to think about in response.
1 Why is there still so much to do?
Probably as a result of taking too much stuff on and desiring a perfect outcome. Neither of which leads to a good result.
Remember that old phrase?
“The difficult gets done immediately. The impossible takes a little longer.”
Trying to do everything in a short space of time is akin to the impossible.
Don’t try and do what you can’t do. Get real and give yourself permission to be as good as you can be.
Your objective is to do your best. Not your most.
2 I know I’ve done a lot, but is it enough?
When you’re at the wheel of a car and embarking on a long drive, it sometimes feels like you’ll never get to where you’re heading. The road stretches out ahead and there’s still no sign of your destination.
The thing is, when you’re in a car, it’s very difficult to look back and see how far you’ve travelled. So we don’t appreciate what we have already done and all of our focus is on the negative aspect – the distance ahead.
Don’t obsess over the end point and trying to get there as quickly as possible. Focus on enjoying the journey in the first instance. Then the destination is just a nice bonus.
3. Will my efforts ever be good enough?
If by ‘good enough’ you mean ‘will it compare to the impossible ideal that I’ve set myself?’ then ‘No. It won’t!’
You will never get to a point where you stop learning or stop growing, not in business terms, anyway.
Can you imagine Roger Federer walking off the tennis court going “That’s it. I’m the best I’ll ever be, so I may as well stop now”?
There is always room for improvement, no matter how far advanced you are. And that’s ok. Because the more you learn and the more you grow, the more rewarding life becomes.
Keep pushing to be better tomorrow than you were today, but don’t ever get hung up on being this picture of excellence that is impossible to achieve.
Strive for better, not stress.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrmiller/
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
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