Are you struggling with your choices? Still feeling overwhelmed?
One of the most common statements I hear from others sounds something like, "Yes, I understand your method, Speed with Purpose, and I am doing a lot of what you recommend, but I still feel overwhelmed."
And herein lies the crux of the issue. To beat feeling overwhelmed you must face reality and actually acknowledge that you have limits. The truth is that we live in the most prosperous, technologically advanced and militarily superior country in the history of man. The resources at our disposal make the lifestyle of a 16th century king appear woefully inadequate. Yet 75% of the knowledge workers feel burnt out.
In fact, it is in having so many choices and possibilities that we find ourselves in the state of overload. We take on too many commitments; we do too many tasks that would be better left to someone else or to technology; and we react to the pace rather than proactively driving our own precious use of time. We simply do not think clearly and make the necessary hard choices.
Prescription:
- Face the limit of a 24-hour day
- Truly understand your capabilities: skills, motivation, drive, resources and personal energy
- Allocate time for the various roles in your life, using the constraint of a 24-hour day
- Take on commitments that equal 80% or less of your capacity
- Reset your expectations for what you can accomplish based on your capacity -- face reality
Using this approach will both help you break the unrealistic pace you have set for yourself and ultimately become most aligned with what is truly important to you. For some people this will mean maintaining an overwhelmed state. Many people thrive in this environment and feel fulfilled keeping their life overflowing with commitments.
Key Principle: The freedom that today's work provides us is choice.
It is in these choices that we create our state. If you do not like your current state, then it is up to you to make different choices. You can start, right now. You have the freedom to choose.