I know that some may disagree with me here, especially since we are all accustomed to seeing being busy as a virtue in modern society. Busyness is not a virtue, nor is it a sign of productivity. If you are taking on too much, the truth is, you will focus on none of it and do a terrible job at what you do manage to complete. It is always better to do less and do it correctly rather than to do many things with errors and omissions. The following are signs that you are trying to focus on too much at once:
You Forget What You are Doing – Have you ever started to do something and forgotten what it was you were doing right in the middle? This is a genuine problem for those who take on too much. You cannot focus on everything and do everything for everyone.
You Do not Prioritize – If you have no idea what needs to happen first, you may do things repeatedly. For example, should you dust or vacuum first? Should you outline or research first? Understanding the processes that work best will help you prioritize your workload.
You are Missing Deadlines – If you’re working all the time, but you’re not getting anything done, it’s simple. You are doing too much. People think the so-called 40-hour workweek is a good example of how long people should work a job, but the truth is, that the 40-hour workweek was designed with the idea that someone was home taking care of the household. That is just not the way things are anymore.
You are Not Managing Your Time – If you don’t even keep a calendar or do, and nothing happens as you have scheduled, you are not constructively managing your time. One way you can help yourself is to learn more about time management. You are given the same number of hours as the next person, so it must be about managing it to get the most from it.
You Feel Anxious and Stressed – When you are not having enough downtime to rest and can’t take care of your human needs like eating, exercising, loving, and so forth, you’re not going to have a very happy life. So, if you feel stressed out, consider whether your schedule includes all parts of you that should be included or not.
You Get to Bed Late and Cannot Sleep – It’s hard, if not impossible with your current lifestyle, to get to bed at a good hour to ensure a minimum healthy 7 hours of sleep if you’re doing too much. The problem is worse when you manage to get into bed but your mind is so full of stress that you cannot sleep.
You Miss Opportunities – Because you are so all over the place doing a little of this and a little of that, you are not ready when opportunities seem to come right to you. You do not have a down payment. You cannot buy that laptop on sale. You are too tired to go to that sale at the mall.
You Pay Late Fees – When you are too distracted due to having too much on your plate, it’s not unusual to end up messing up your finances too by having to pay late fees.
If you are doing any of this, you are not a bad person. You are just doing what society has taught you to do, or at least presented to you that successful people are doing. Nothing is further from the truth, though.
Smart, successful people focus on doing fewer things well to build a balanced, high-quality life. They make proficiency and efficacy a priority over appearing busy and doing more.
If you feel like you are doing too much and need a little help from a virtual assistant to get some tasks off your plate so you can be more productive and really start enjoying your life. Reach out to me to see if I can help, a 30-minute discovery call is free, and I always love to meet new people!