On Balance

When you have a portfolio career like mine and like so many of my podcast guests, it can be hard to keep your life in balance. There's always something else you could be doing. You could always be practicing more, creating content or designing a new offer or making more reeds for the insatiable demands of your business (that one might just be a me thing).  You could work all day, every day, and not be done. There is always more to do than you have time to do. 

I do talk about this a little in my book, in the chapter on Balance.  But honestly, balance is a constantly shifting goal. It's a verb, not a noun, and I'm always searching for a new way to think about it.

Generally, my productivity systems serve me well. I stay on top of things. I have times of the day and of the week that I devote to my various tasks. I know that I do my banking on Tuesday, that I write an email to my list on Wednesday, that I make reeds after dinner when my energy is no longer creative and all I want to do is watch internet television. 

But this year I have decided that I don't want to be that person who is constantly, ceaselessly busy.  Productivity is fine, being high-functioning is not a negative attribute - but I want more space in my life and more time with my child and more room to nap when I'm tired and eat when I'm hungry. My word of the year is SPACIOUS and I am working to intentionally rest and recharge between things so I can bring my best presence to the interactions that are important to me. 

I'm running an experiment this week. Every night, as usual, I set up my bullet journal for the next day. I pull a reasonable number of tasks from my weekly to-do list and assign them to tomorrow based on how many appointments, lessons, and conversations I already have on my calendar. This is all normal for me.

But in the morning, when I am fresh and looking at that journal page, I write the word SPACIOUS across the top of the page, and I intentionally cross one or two items OFF of that to-do list. Bonus points if the items that go are BIG ones that would have taken a long time. I don't have to do EVERYTHING that ambitious night-time Jennet planned for me. 

If the tasks are truly important, I will get to them. The weekly running list of things is still holding them.  But it doesn't have to be today. Today I can welcome spaciousness into my life. Today I can let go of one of the obligations that I put on myself.  

And so could you, I bet.

Does this resonate for you today? Let me know in the comments!