Stop and think about all that you do. Do you feel like you are overworked and pulled in a hundred different directions? Do you have a hard time doing something well because you are trying to do too much and cannot devote enough time to one thing? Many times society sets these standards for us. We need to be the perfect mom, wife, student, business person, and entrepreneur. We also need to be beautiful, have a great personality, hang out with friends and still find time to practice self care. It can be so overwhelming at times and what results in the end is burnout. We must realize that we cannot be all things to everyone and we cannot simply do everything for everyone. We have to learn how to prioritize our time to avoid burnout. We must realize what is most important to us in this season of life and then learn to say no to the rest.
I know this can be so hard. Trust me I am right there with you! These past two years I have been doing way too much. I have felt overworked and overwhelmed. I am now on a mission to take inventory of my life and truly focus on what matters most right now in this season. I have started taking inventory by asking myself four questions...
What matters most to me in life right now in this season?
What are my responsibilities?
What is keeping/distracting me from the most important things in life and my responsibilities?
Based on what I answered above, what are some practical things I can do today to prioritize my time?
These questions were designed to make me truly see what is important. Whatever did not make the list, is not important enough for me to pursue at this time or worry about. So I challenge you to take inventory as well. Get out a piece of paper or your journal and honestly answer these questions. Once you have made your lists and written your answers down, give it all to God in prayer because in the end, He is in control. Then prayerfully make a plan. Plan what needs to go and what needs to stay and live in the freedom of knowing that you do not have to be everything for everyone. Learn to be okay with just taking care of what's on your list because those things are what God has given you to be a good steward of in this season of your life.