What Do You Need To Give Up?

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Friday is usually a good day to reflect on the week.

Today’s thought is about lightening your load a bit.

Sometimes we take on more than we should… to the point that our load is a bit too heavy to carry day-to-day. When this happens, it is necessary to offload some of our obligations and tasks.

What about you? Are you carrying too much?

What do you need to give up?

Too Much To Carry?

We all have the same amount of time, it is all about how we choose to spend it.

When there are too many things on your plate, it is easy to quickly find yourself drowning in responsibilities.

So, what are you going to do about it? More specifically, what do you need to not be doing?

When you have too much to do, you need to decide what you are going to give up.

People often have a negative connotation around the phrase “give up.” But, what we are really talking about here is priorities. You cannot do everything. Don’t look at “giving up” some things as failure, but rather choosing things that are more important to you.

Here are just a few ways to look at what you might need to give up:

To Don’t Lists – An effective exercise can be to make a “To Don’t List.” Record all the things you want to stop doing. Whether it is watching less TV or reducing your Internet surfing, put it on your “To Don’t” list.
Collateral Duties – Have you bitten off more than you can chew in your professional or personal life? Collateral duties are often hard to say no to, however they can add up quickly. Examine the extra duties that you have in addition to your main job. At one job, I counted that I had 13 collateral duties. I was literally doing more in extra work than in my designated job.
Too Many Hobbies – I believe that hobbies are good and that you need a hobby to be productive. However, too much of anything can be too much. If you find that you have 12 hobbies, you could be overdoing it.
Make an Obligation List – Sometimes when you are overwhelmed, it can be hard to get a big picture view of all of your responsibilities. Make an Obligation List to capture all of the various tasks, projects, and more, that are weighing you down.

What Do You Need to Give Up?

Our obligations build up, sometimes without us knowing it. Sometimes it’s because you can’t say no. Other times, you simply sign up for too many things.

Take an inventory of your load and consider lightening it by giving up some of the extraneous duties.

We often resist “giving up” things, either because we feel a responsibility or due to a perceived vested interest.

However, it can be liberating. It can allow us to excel in other areas of life.

What do you need to give up? Do you need to lighten your load?

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How To Know If You Are Overloaded