(Let's Not) Do All the Things

I used to be a people pleaser, worried that I may miss out on something or disappoint someone if I said no, especially if it was towards a boss or a client. I would say I could try to fit it in my schedule and ended up working until 7pm every night until I was caught up. Often we are distracted because we think of exciting missed opportunities. The cold hard truth is that we can’t do it all.

With every new opportunity, I consider the following:

• How much time do I actually have right now to take on a new project?

• When will I be able to devote enough time to complete it?

• How long will I need to effectively complete the project?

You may want to ignore my advice and take it on anyway. Say yes and figure it out later, right? That works in some situations, but you may want to run far, far away. You might find yourself wincing at the thought of answering another phone call or email – because you feel resentful that you are spread so thin.

Being an adult is hard. Sometimes you have to choose what you are willing to take on. Even if the opportunity is shiny and exciting and new, you might have to turn it down if it doesn’t fit in to the big picture. Think of it like this: Will this project matter a year from now? Five years from now? It might be a fantastic short-term project, but if it isn’t a long-term commitment and you don’t have the resources to devote time to it, does it really serve you?

Here are some examples of projects that would be considered “big picture:”

• Writing a book

• Partnering with clients that trust you and make you an extension of their organization

• Spending time on growing your business

• Setting up processes so it can run without you

Things that don’t contribute to long-term success may look like this:

• One-time service/vendor relationship

• Working on 20 small projects at an alarming pace to meet deadlines

• A fast and furious attempt to read and reply to all emails in the same business day

If that second scenario doesn’t sound like a good time, that’s because it isn’t. I am going to be cliché for a moment: only one of those categories will plant the seeds for a better tomorrow. You don’t have to do it all. The only part you need to worry about is choosing what you want to do.