Are You Disorganized Or Doing Too Much?

Last year, as wonderful as it was, was exhausting. I started the year with such gusto about everything I wanted to do and the result, overwhelmingly, was that I just ended up doing too much.

Something had to give. I was tired and not spending enough time relaxing and enjoying family life. I don’t think I was giving 100% to the things I did do either. Because we can only do so much, right? I guess the effects of working too much got me.

To multi-task…or not?

I go back and forth on the whole “multi-tasking” thing. I’ve always prided myself as a juggler. Which is hilarious as I cannot actually juggle. Or snap my fingers. I can whistle though. I digress.

But I can juggle a lot of stuff pretty well. Planning helps – making a daily To Do List in my planner keeps me organised. Without it – well, I would not remember a single thing I imagine.

(Side note: you can get $10US off my Favourite Paper Planner, the Erin Condren LifePlanner here. This is a referral link and I’ll get $10US too so thank you in advance if you do buy one. And let me know so we can be planner buddies!)

Even though I’m good at multi-tasking and having a lot on the go at any one time, last year there was too much of it. Too much saying Yes to everything. Too much wanting to “live for the moment” and experience it all now, now, now! Too much FOMO – oh I have that in spades, do you?

Something (actually lots of things) had to give

It had to stop though because when it starts to have an impact on your health and/or family life then a change is essential.

The problem is, we’re not rich. I don’t have the luxury of kicking back and taking time off work. My hubs has an average wage and we’re comfortable but we’re not raking it in.

My business is thriving though and I’m at that essential time in a new business where investment is necessary for future gain. So whilst I’m not earning a fortune now, I’m (hopefully) setting us up for the future.

But it’s oh-so-hard to balance it all. I have a constant battle of wanting to spend days on end being 100% present with my family but I also want to lock myself away in my office and invest more time building the business I truly love. My third baby.

Then comes the mum guilt – from myself, my family and society. That’s another story altogether. For another day.

I need the balance of knowing when to work and when to stop. Working from home blurs the lines.

Getting back on topic though, are you disorganised or doing too much? Are you losing the balance in your life?

The revelation

Last year I wondered if I was actually not the “super-organised mum/woman” I’d previously decided I was.

Now I realise that I was simply taking too many things on. I said Yes to way too many things – mostly things that didn’t enrich mine or my family’s life in any way. I wasn’t giving myself any chance to be organised.

I’ve always been a “yes person”. I’ve always put my hand up first to volunteer to help/lead/organise/do something.

I started this year with a whole new mindset and, so far, it’s working for me. I chose the word “Simple” as my word for the year. I need more simplicity in my life. I need to devote more time, effort and love to fewer things.

How I’m keeping things Simple and getting more Organized

I now:

Say No more

I now say No to anything that doesn’t delight or add value to mine or my family’s life. Oh my word it’s liberating to say no. I don’t mean that in an obnoxious or superior way – I just mean it’s freeing to take control of my life.

I need to work out how much work is too much and start drawing the line more.

Stop doing things that don’t fit that same criteria

This is hard but essential! I’m auditing my life – mainly work-wise. I’m looking at everything I spent time on in the past 12 months and assessing if it’s worth continuing.

This will mean saying goodbye to some projects that I love but it will ultimately free up my time to devote more to more valuable projects I love even more.

Stop adding trivial things to my daily To Do list

Unless it’s an essential task, I don’t plan to do it. These little things were not getting done but they were making me feel stressed seeing that I wasn’t getting through my To Do list every day.

Now my daily To Do list is shorter with only achievable things added to it.

I still have a main list of bigger goals that I want to reach this year. I revisit that weekly to see where I can break it down into smaller, achievable steps to add to my weekly planner.

These are the three main things I’m doing to keep life more simple. They’re pretty simple things, right?!

I don’t want an easy year. I certainly don’t want a boring year. I want a highly-productive, successful but balanced year ahead. I want to do more by doing less.

I’m not disorganised, I was just doing too much.

How about you? Are you doing too much?
Read next:

• 9 Ways I Stay Super Organised At Home, Every Day
• Download My FREE Weekly Planner Here
• Get $10US off my Favourite Paper Planner – an Erin Condren LifePlanner
• 5 Ways To Be More Productive
• What is the Best Day of the Week to Plan + Free Weekly Planner
• How I Plan My Day

PIN THIS POST:

Disclosure: as mentioned above, this post on doing too much contains affiliate links to my FAVOURITE planner shop on the planet, Erin Condren. If you click through and make a purchase, you and I both get $10US credit. Win/win I say!