If you haven't noticed by now, I could talk about productivity and time management hacks until the cows come home (yep - I just said that🐄!).

I pride myself on making solid recommendations to anyone who asks me about what system or tool they should use.

Sometimes though, I meet my match.

I'll talk to a working mom who has tried it all.

Passion planner? bought it.
Time blocking? tried it.
Asana? used it.
Power hours? check.
Skylight calendar? have it.

And yet, she's still asking for a recommendation wondering what she's missing. She's still looking for the magic solution that's going to help her do it all.

It's at that point in the conversation that I start wondering if instead of searching, she's actually avoiding.

Avoiding narrowing down her priorities and choosing what to let go of.

I get it! That's not always a fun reality to face.

It'd be so much easier if you could just implement a new system and not have to choose.

But even if there were a way to do it all and fit it all in, I have to wonder at what cost?

Would it cost you sleep, relationships, your marriage, health, the quality of your work, time with your kids, or more?

Deciding what fits and what doesn't might be a challenge, especially if letting things go is new for you. It might be a little uncomfortable to say no, but it's discomfort that's worth it. And every decision that you make is practice that will make the next one a little bit easier.

As you're thinking about what to keep (priorities) and what to let go of (non-priorities), don't forget to think about both:

Events/Activities - the things that hold space on your calendar
Expectations - the things that take time and energy but aren't necessarily on the calendar

Events/Activities:

Are you or have you said yes to too many things that are taking up space on your calendar?

Maybe it's too many extracurriculars for the kids, a volunteer role that you don't have capacity for, training for a race during a busy season at work or accepting one too many birthday or shower invitations.

Think about your priorities and practice saying no to just one thing. One thing that can make the space for what is actually important.

Expectations:

Are your expectations of yourself realistic in this season of life?

Maybe you're expecting every meal to be new and from scratch. Or you're trying to be at every one of your kids' practices and games. Or you're expecting yourself to always be available, responding within minutes to work emails and messages.

Are those all things that you have to do? Or are they things you could do?

Again, think about your priorities and ask yourself what actually fits. Choose one expectation that you could experiment with letting go of to create more capacity for the things that matter.

Instead of avoiding the choice of what fits and what doesn't, start with one small decision at a time.

Most things in life are changeable. So, what have you got to lose?

And more importantly, what might you gain??

What's waiting on the other side of letting go, is so much relief. There's space and room to breathe. There's time for you and the people and things that you love.

And there's no more pressure to find the perfect solution.

You can stop trying to do the math that doesn't math and create time by facing the decision of what's actually important and what doesn't fit right now.

The Real Reason You Don't Have Enough Time

Events/Activities:

Expectations:

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