Post from Becky Shook, Principal Consultant at Achieved Strategies
I just returned from the 2010 e-women’s network conference: 4 days of inspiration, energy, and learning. It was a fantastic reminder that anything is possible, although sometimes we have to step out of our own way. For me, getting out of my own way showed up in 2 days of multi-tasking, which blocked my ability to be fully present. By the end of the 2nd day, the loudest message of all – one that I usually have to hear more than twice- is that multi-tasking is no longer my friend.
What was difficult for me to reconcile was “what could I do”? I was already over-committed.
Here’s what I came up with. These are gentle reminders for myself that might benefit you:
- Stop committing to new things now! There will be new opportunities around every corner.
- Take a step back and reassess your current priorities. Make some tough decisions to stop the less value-added work, or even consider dropping a commitment that doesn’t fit within the big picture any longer.
- Be honest with yourself. Why can’t you say no? Are you afraid to hurt someone’s feelings? Do you over-commit out of fear of losing out?
- What are you really losing when you commit to more things than you can handle? Big games take time and energy, but can pay off big in the end. Are you giving the time needed to play “big”?
- If you barely have the time to keep your commitments in the external world, it probably means your internal world is suffering most. If you haven’t filled your own cup lately, how can you really contribute to others?
So what is your lesson on over-committing?
