There is so much going on. So. Much. With our work lives, our home lives, our partner’s lives, our kid’s lives, what’s on the news, what’s on our TV shows, what’s going on in books and blogs and magazines, EVERYWHERE!
Everywhere you look has its own mini-universe with things going on. And then their mini-universe floods into your mini-universe and even more chaos ensues.
So what to do? I’ve got one word.
Simplify.
We’ve got so much going on, and we’ve got too much going on. And so when overwhelm takes over, ground yourself with the question, “What can I let go of?”
We humans love to overcomplicate. Love to set unrealistic expectations. Love to celebrate the hustle. But overwhelm can max out your systems, and that leads to physical and mental illnesses, as well as negative impacts on your work and personal life.
But there are always things to let go of. Always ways to be more focused and intentional. You can always bring things back into your life if and when there is the space for it, but less really is more.
One of my favorite business books, Essentialism by Greg McKeown, talks about the beauty and benefits of doing less.
He says, “An Essentialist produces more – brings forth more – by removing instead of doing more.”
Produce more by doing less?! What a concept! Sounds too good to be true! But I can tell you, dear reader, that it is not too good to be true. It is just the thing.
Another quote I enjoy is from one of my new favorite podcasts called Afford Anything. The tagline is “You can afford anything, just not everything.” Just replace “afford” with “do,” and you’re set.
Simplicity is the key, you see. Because with less you can be more focused, more productive. You can be better at a few things instead of trying to tackle a bunch of things.
And this level of functioning produces higher results in life, in business, in happiness, all of it. For when we simplify, we can get more clear on what really matters and what works for us and what doesn’t.
So tune in to your overwhelm. Get to know it so you can detect when it’s creeping in. And then ask yourself what there is to simplify, let go of. What can you put on the back burner for now that can allow you to get ahead in other areas?
And letting go of your self-care practice is not allowed! It can be modified, but not let go of. Nope. No way. No how. But perhaps something else. Like social media. One or two of your shows. A party. A side project that takes up a lot of mental space. Clothes in your closet you never wear.
You get the idea.
Trust in simplifying. It can be scary, but it’s oh so worth it.