Busy seems to suit everyone these days. If we aren’t completely overwhelmed right now, we are just coming off of a period of being overwhelmed. And, we will likely feel overwhelmed again soon.
It seems that being busy is the norm. It’s what we do.
Hustling has turned into a verb that has an elite connotation to it. And, being “unavailable” is a status symbol.
We #slayallday and do #allthethings and proudly announce it from a place of dignity.
Most, if not all of us, fill up our day until we are totally full.
Life is like a sponge.
No, really. Hear me out.
When a sponge is dry, it’s useless. And, when we have nothing going on in life we are bored and feel as though we have no purpose.
So, we add water — or “life” — into our sponge. When we add the perfect amount of water to the sponge, it works well. It cleans nicely and does its job.
In the same way, we add things to our lives to give us purpose and joy. Such as having a job, kids, marriage, hobbies, and volunteering.
But, sometimes we add too much and we get oversaturated. Our plates are full. And then one thing happens, like our kids get sick, something unexpected comes up, there’s a change of plans, we say yes to one more thing, and that one last drop of water renders our sponge useless.
The sponge is dripping wet. Shit starts falling through the cracks. We forget stuff, we are constantly running late, or we complete something half-ass because we didn’t have the time and/or energy to finish the job.
When a sponge is oversaturated, it just moves stuff around and makes more of a mess instead of actually cleaning. Everything it touches is now messy instead of clean.
That’s when you know it’s time to squeeze out the excess.
Knowing when to wring it out is key
The usual outcome to overwhelm is exhaustion and wondering why we never have any time for ourselves or the relationships that actually matter to us.
So, we have to know when to wring out the sponge. Get rid of the excess. Take some things off of our plates.
The real way to be badass is being able to prioritize our time by saying yes to some things and no to other things. That includes making time for yourself. Every day.
Instead of #slaying and #hustlingeverydamnday let’s just be un-fucking-productive for 5 minutes.
That is being brave and bold. Not constantly battling life and being an over-saturated sponge.
PS — Have you taken the Brave & Bold Challenge yet? Your life is waiting.
Originally published at medium.com