Overcommitment

More isn’t always better. For much of my life, I have equated busyness with progress—each new commitment supposedly a source of value. However, I have come to realize it’s kind of like diminishing rate of returns . There’s a point where each additional obligation may no longer add value. Instead it weighs me down.

I think I’m approaching the peak of my curve. I know and realize that I’m not built to handle everything nor should I put all that stress on myself. Regrettably, I fall victim to the thinking that being busy is more fufilling than being effective. It’s quite a counterintuitive truth. I can quantify the amount of tasks I get done in a day. A bigger shinier number at the end of the day surely proves it was a successful day. But in the long run, how successful will I truly be if I am devoting all this time to numerous areas of life. I risk ending up with a collection of half-finished, mediocre efforts instead of a few truly meaningful accomplishments. I think this is a good reminder to step back and embrace the idea of essentialism I have written about previously. The challenge is that everything I work on feels important, making it difficult to know what to let go of or what to prioritize. If I consider the ingredients that make up my life…

1. School

2. work

3. Friendships

4. Relationship

5. Family

6. Health

7. Me time

8. Side project

9. School Club

Each of these demand attention and presence if they will ever amount to anything truly meaningful. They don’t feel like tasks on a to do list that just need to be checked off. They shape my identity and well-being. They all deserve my attention and I realize that neglecting one area comes at a cost, a trade off that isn’t always apparent in the moment.

As Chris Williamson puts it, some lessons such as money won’t buy happiness or you should see your parents more often are unteachable. Meaning that many of us will never grasp these truths until we reach some level of wealth we thought would make us happy, only to still feel unfulfilled, or your parents suddenly become ill making you realize how finite time really is.

The last thing I want to do is wake up one day, alone and regretful, because I chose to work endless years and neglect every other area of my life that brought me peace and purpose. We are warned about it constantly, yet fall victim to it over and over again. I refuse to be the next victim.

Right now, life may seem stressful with all of the moving parts, but I’m optimistic. With school coming to an end, I will hopefully reclaim some time that I can devote to the meaningful areas of life. For now I may find myself making some short term sacrifices for a long term pay out of mental and emotional sanity. Work may need to take a back seat for the next couple months and that’s okay. I am learning to prioritize and take control of my time. Learning to relax and not overcommit is a daily challenge but like anything, it becomes easier through consistency.

I wish you all some peace and purpose.