5 Questions To Ask When You're Doing Too Much

"how do you do so much stuff??!!"

I get a lot of messages like this.

Yes. This is a real DM from my Instagram.

Yes. All caps does look like yelling.

Quite frankly, I would be yelling too.

When youā€™re not feeling productive, itā€™s frustrating. Iā€™ve been there so many times. Iā€™ve had seasons when I felt completely useless and unextraordinary.

Not just years ago. Those feelings popped up recently, too.

We all go through it.

And while Iā€™d love to tell you how I do ALL the thingsā€¦

instead, I need to confess how this DM makes me feel.

I donā€™t take this comment as a compliment.

Let me explain.

If youā€™d asked me how this made me feel in the first decade of my business, I would have said ā€œmassively successful.ā€ I was SO PROUD of proving how many things I could do AND do relatively well.

But, in the last few years, Iā€™ve learned a lot about how my ego-driven need for this recognition caused me to spend too much time trying to do everything instead of mastering something truly special.

When I read this comment, it makes me pause and think:

ā€œUh oh. Iā€™m doing too much.ā€

Itā€™s not a reason for concern. Itā€™s a reminder to take a breath and reflect. These are the questions I ask myself when I think I might be doing too much:

  1. Am I spending most of my work time on the one thing that gives me the most leverage? Shiny object syndrome is not just for those who struggle to focus. The world always tries to get us to pay attention to something new. Trouble begins when you convince yourself itā€™s a good idea to do more things, distracting from the main thing. If there is one thing that gives you the most results for time spent, what if you optimized that and get more time and money back for it? Thatā€™s energy well spent.

  2. Have I been staring at my phone while around my kids lately? This is not a judgment of anyone else. Itā€™s simply a question I ask myself. I know that if Iā€™m staring at my phone after work regularly then Iā€™m not managing my time appropriately. If there are still emails to check or emergencies to manage when itā€™s time for me to see my family for the short time we get throughout the week, somethingā€™s wrong. Thatā€™s not the life I designed.

  3. What was the hardest thing Iā€™ve done lately? And did I love it? We can do hard things. I love doing hard things. What I donā€™t love is doing things that are hard for me but donā€™t need to be done by me at all. A hard thing that could have been either deleted or delegated, I need to call it out quickly.

  4. What decision have I made recently that I now feel was the wrong call? What do I want to remember for next time? This question tends to surprise me more nowadays. For most people, you might find that this leads you to think about how youā€™re not good at saying ā€˜noā€™ to things you hate. For me, Iā€™ve gotten so good at saying ā€˜noā€™ to most things that I sometimes look back and thinkā€¦ ā€˜Actually, that might have been a nice moment to be part of.ā€™ Regardless, reflecting is important to realize where you stand in your current wisdom and your capability to choose whatā€™s right for you. No matter what, you want to feel like youā€™re getting better at being honest about following through on choosing the best thing for you.

  5. When was the last time I had fun? If all we ever do is optimize our time, are we really living? If you canā€™t remember the last time you had fun and itā€™s all just a grind, you might be due to cut yourself a break. If all you ever do is have funā€¦ well, it might be time to start grinding.

ICYMI - our massive pre-sale for the Good Morning, Good Life 12-Month Undated Paper Planner is still in full swing. We only have about 100 planners left at the current pre-launch price (which, BTW, is a number that will never happen again). Once those final planners are sold, the price increases.

Plan for 2025 and save when you snag your planner early. As in NOW!