Keep It Simple

Can you relate to any of these statements...

"I have too much to do and can never get anything done"

"I feel like I'm stuck and going no where"

"I can't seem to focus on one thing because there's always something else to do"

"I'm exhausted by the end of the day and don't have the energy to work on what I really want to work on"

"I don't have time for me"

"I'm overwhelmed. I have too many things to do. I'm stressed"

You get the idea... and we all feel this way at one time or another.

I wear many hats... I run my online business, I am a mother, I am a girlfriend, I am a friend, I am a runner... each of these roles can take up 24 hours of my day! Right?

I know many of my friends that have small children... and after a long day with them, the idea of exercising or working on a business seems out of reach.

When we feel overwhelm in our lives... it's usually because we don't feel like we have control over our lives... like there are just too many things coming at us at once... too many things to do... not enough getting done. Right?

You feel this way because you're trying to do too many things at once. Oh I know... you'll say that if you don't do it, it won't get done. Or... if you don't do it, it won't get done right. When I ask the question... why does it have to get done right now? Or what will happen if it's not done perfectly? The response is a confused silence. A shrug.

This is because your overwhelm... your chaos... your stress... your schedule... your to-do list... your expectations... are all created by YOU.

You have the power to create the day you want. You have the power to create the life you want. You have the power to create a good day or a stressed day. YES! You DO! Stop arguing with me! ;-)

Here's the thing. We, as humans, have the insane ability to complicate our lives. We rationalize by saying that we are doing all of this for our kids. Or for our future happiness. Or whatever the reason may be. But the truth is... your life CAN be simple. It doesn't have to be packed with things to do. You created that in your life. Nobody else did that. You did it.

Now, I know... stuff comes up. You can say NO. You can choose to deal with it and not do something else. You can choose to react negatively or accept it and make the best of it. You can choose to take a break.

Keep It Simple

Your life. Keep your life simple. Look at the long list of to-dos and commit to only the top 3 things on that list for the day. That's it. When you keep your commitments simple... you'll discover that the stress and pressure of trying to get it all done go away. You've given yourself permission to just get 3 things done. Now... if you get more than the 3... that's great! But you only have to do 3.

Make room in your schedule for you. Time to breath. Time to relax and recharge. Just like you might put a few dollars away a month for savings... you need to do the same for your emotional energy and happiness. Put aside a few minutes to reserve energy. Energy you may need when something unexpected comes up. But if you use up all of your energy every single day... you'll be emotionally broke... and when something comes up... you'll feel beat up. You'll be in emotional debt. And it will take you twice as long to recharge.

Stop telling yourself that you MUST do 12 things today. How is this serving you? No one is going to reward you the way you think you need to be rewarded. If you have a business you want to build... then commit to one simple action a day to work on your business. Commit one simple action to taking 15 minutes for yourself. Commit to another action of whatever you need to get done. And that's it.

You can do this. You will end the day feeling accomplished... with energy... imagine that.

Try this for a week... and you'll be amazed at how your life will transform. You're going to notice magic happen in your life. I promise.

Jen Thoden