I used to make a habit of setting myself up for failure. I saw life as one long list of never-ending tasks that needed to be constantly ticked off. I thought that if I didn’t live the way I was – like a haggard little hamster on a wheel, feeling like I was going nowhere fast – I would be slowly crushed by my to-do list. Then one day I heard a lady speaking about how she too had created this treadmill of life for herself, this fast-paced and non-stop race to get to, well… nowhere in particular. And then I heard her solution to her situation and it changed my life… she got off her treadmill. I realised that I was choosing my hamster wheel and my harried existence. I was choosing to do so much that was unnecessary and redundant because I wasn’t clear about where I was going. I was CHOOSING to stress myself out completely and then feel like a failure when I invariably didn’t tick every box on my list every day.
I have learned a lot since I decided to step off my wheel then burn it and break the bars of my self-imposed cage. I figured out where I’m going and I do only what I am able to each day to stay on track towards getting there while actually LIVING my life. I wanted to share just a few top tips for scheduling for success as opposed to scheduling for stress.
Top tips to schedule for stress:
- Make one long to-do list
- Have the intention to tick as many to-do’s on that list at the start of the day
- Feel overwhelmed when life happens and feel guilty when you take a break
- Constantly worry about all the things you still have to do on your long list
Top tips to schedule for success:
- Make a few shorter to-do lists and move only selected items to a list for today
- Add an estimate of how long each task will take next to that task – move tasks off the list if necessary
- Leave some free time open for rest / fun / unexpected interruptions etc.
- Aim to do only the few things on your list for today
You can choose to get off your hamster wheel or treadmill or whatever other device of torture you have created for yourself – all it takes is a clear direction and a bit of smarter scheduling.
Wishing you a calm and steady path to success!
Portal to Change 