Please raise your hand if you try to cram everything in to your day, knowing if you juggle and don’t sleep and ignore basic bodily functions, you can do it all? Hopefully no hand was raised and you’re wise and have realized by now that all of us have to make big choices on priorities, we just can’t do it all. Or perhaps you’re like me. Last week I burned my face, rather badly in one place, because I was too busy to read the warning label on the back of the product I was using. I was busy and glanced at the label. And I missed communicating with someone who was really important because I did not follow up on a text to make sure we were on the same page; I was too busy and assumed it made sense when I first sent the text. And I try to eat breakfast while answering emails while being on hold for a customer service call, all the time watching the time to make sure I get to my Zoom meeting on time.
But I’m learning. Rory Vadum, in his book Procrastinate on Purpose, reminds us—contrary to what the title sounds like—that we need to pay attention to the minutes we’re wasting on trivial things that we deem important. Unfortunately, they are the business equivalent of Harry Potter’s dementors, they suck the life out of the day, one email and phone call and mini project at a time.
When we can choose to decide not to do certain things, to delegate certain things and to re-prioritize what matters most to us, we realize that valuing and appreciating what we’re doing makes us much more effective. And it’s much less stressful as well!
