Feisty Business // Getting Stuff Done
This weekend, I felt like I’d turned a new leaf. On one hand, I realized that life is too short to not do all the things we dream of. On the other, I also came to terms with the fact that I still only have 24 hours in a day, and most of that time is devoted to two things: (1) my full-time job, and (2) planning my wedding. Everything else I want to do needs to fall within what can be laughably called “free time.” I assure you, there isn’t much of that lying around.
Over the past few weeks, I have been so overwhelmed by my schedule, my workload, and my obligations. I’ve been crazed at work and at home. It’s a wonder I’ve been able to keep it together as much as I have (all glory to God). But this weekend, that all changed. It’s like I had an epiphany. I suddenly came to the realization that if I intend to get stuff done, I need to prioritize and learn to say “no.”
Those are literally two of the most difficult things for me to do. They always have been. I’m always doing multiple things at once because everything is important to me. And I never say no because I feel like it reflects poorly on my abilities. But in fact, not everything is that important, at least not at the same time, and saying no is a valuable and necessary skill. It’s going to be really hard for me to slim down what I’m doing, but if I don’t, I’m never going to get anything done at the level that I want. I’d rather do a few things well than do a ton of things that aren’t that great.
Now that I’m focused on managing my to-do-list-crisis and actually start getting stuff done, there are a couple of exercises that I’m going to do this week that’ll get me going in the right direction:
Goal-Setting // First things first, I need to set some clear goals for myself. Where do I see myself at the end of this year? In a year? Or the end of next year? How about in the next five years? I need to know where I’m headed before I can start figuring out what I need to do in order to get there. I’m a goal-oriented person, so I think this exercise is going to be a lot of fun for me, as well as provide some much-needed clarity.
To-Do List // What is it going to take for me to reach my goals? What do I need to be doing? I need to list out the steps (at least what I know for right now) and get a sense of the types of things I’ll be spending time on that are related to my goals.
Prioritize // Not everything on my to-do list will need to be done in the next week or two. Some things will need to be done sooner than others. Some things may not become a priority for another year. This is going to be the most important thing for me to do. I need to prioritize my to-do list so that I’m spending my almost non-existent spare time on the things that are going to get me closer to accomplishing my goals.
Just Say No // To any and everything that isn’t a priority for me. Period. I have realized that I don’t have the time to do it all. And that’s OK. But I can use my time to focus on what I need to do and say no to those things that just aren’t necessary.
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I’ll be doing a lot of soul searching over the next few weeks, but I’m excited about becoming more focused and less stressed. I’m already feeling such a surge of inspiration, and I’m at peace with the fact that there are going to be some things I may have to stop doing, even if those are things I really enjoy, if they’re not going to get me to where I really want to be. I can’t wait to start these exercises! I foresee a lot of late nights and early mornings in my future as I figure this all out, so I might need this Stuff Done Mug by Click and Blossom (pictured above). I don’t usually drink coffee, but a little caffeine may come in handy!
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