Tim Ferriss @tferriss brought up a great point in his podcast… Why is it, that all this professional development stuff adds to our to-do list but rarely takes things away? We need to start a NOT to do list!
Time-Sucks
Start by listing out all the things you do… from the time you wake up till you go to sleep. Next try to figure out what is productive (brings life) and what is NOT productive (brings death.) How about all that TV you watch? What about the hour(s) you spend on social media? Are those REALLY bringing you life? Do they have a positive impact on you and those around you?
Hell Yes
Remember that one way to cut back on your to-dos is to only say yes to things where it is a “HELL-yes!” If it is not hell yes, then it should probably be no. I understand that this runs counter to “Year of Yes” but if you are already stretched thin or there is more you need to get done (a job search) then it is not time for a year of yes… yet.
Goodbye
It might be time to say goodbye to some of the energy vampires in your life. Don’t get me wrong. We are all called to minister to people but not to ALL people all the time. Sometimes you will need to start moving away from people. If you decide to do this there are two main approaches.
- Tell them. I don’t mean that you need to tell them “how it is.” You can be honest with them without being mean and hurtful. But that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt them, or you.
- Stop being around them. This may mean that you need to stop going to some groups you are a part of. Or maybe you need to change to the early church service. Who knows what awaits you when you get out of your comfort zone!
So start making your list and start checking them off!
The More you love what you are doing, the more successful it will be for your.
Jerry Gillies