How to edit

Take your evening and count the hours. Then count the number of activities you hope to cram into it. Many of us shave an hour of sleep off to accommodate a longer list of activities. Another percentage of us shave off two hours of sleep. Our lists really need doing!
Instead, it is possible to edit the list.  But how?
I find asking myself a series of questions helps me edit a list that is just too long to finish tonight:

·         What will matter most 10 years from now?

·         Will sacrificing sleep to "accomplish" more things cause me to be cranky, self absorbed and unkind to others?

·         Will shortening the list cause others around me suffer?

·         In what ways can I be of best service to my fellow human beings?

·         Am I being asked to let go?

·         What is the highest priority on the list?

·         Is there someone else who can help?

·         Is there someone who should be doing that task instead of me? Am I behaving as if I am the savior of the world? Am I insisting on having things done my way?

 

It's only October

Someone asked me about scheduling a meeting, and they said, "It's only October."
I immediately replied, "What?! Are you kidding? You mean it's already October!"
So much is in my point of view. When my cup is running over, and not with love but with appointments, I seem to watch the calendar slip out from underneath me like a throw rug on a slippery floor.
Ouch!  I just know I am going to wake up and it will be November. Then Spring. Then....
Wait a minute. I am rushing my days rather than savoring them. I am living not only tomorrow, but a year from Christmas. Do you know what I mean?
I want to learn to savor each day. I want to feel that fall breeze slipping into my window and welcome it. I want to truly notice this hour and this day.  Will you join me in that?

Work and play

For those of us transitioning into new jobs, the "busy" meter seems to crank up a notch. I thought I was busy before!

My daughter reminds me to think about the busy mother who works full time, goes to classes at night, and helps her three kids with homework.

Whether you are currently busy or not, chances are that you know someone busier than you are.  Does this encourage you to keep going when your energy level is diminishing?  It certainly keeps me from complaining about my full life.

If I could offer encouragement to every busy person, it would be this: find time to play.
We can't constantly perform well with our metaphorical meters cranked up to their highest levels all of the time.

What does play look like for you?
A book, a bath, a walk at the zoo? Time with friends or time alone? Whatever it is, be sure that you schedule an appointment for play, and keep it as if it were an appointment for a performance review with your new boss.