how to do the work when there is too much else to do
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sometimes clients ask me what to do when there is too much to do. This can be a couple of different questions: Is there literally too much to do? As in, you cannot fit all work that is scheduled into the time you have to do it? Or is there a case of there being time to do it all, but somehow certain tasks you would like to get done get mysteriously pushed to the bottom of the pile without you even realising (until it’s time for you to feel guilty about it)?
Sometimes we can feel like we should be doing all the work, and the problem is that we are not prioritising ‘the work’ we ‘should’ be doing.
But sometimes that isn’t possible — or at the very least, prioritising one work over another simply leads to more headache, guilt, and overwhelm.
Sometimes it is a case of, yes, I could be doing this work, and I’m (surreptitiously) choosing not to — either because I feel like I’m not good enough to attempt this work, or some other reason I haven’t discovered yet.
The first thing is to notice why you might not be doing the work. Ask yourself, are you avoiding doing the work because it opens up a whole can of worms you don’t want to explore yet; or is there truly just a lot on your plate right now?
Either case is fine. Either case is reality. But it’s important to know which one you are dealing with.
sometimes you cannot do all the work.
sometimes you have to let (it be) that some of the work will not get done.
this does not make you a failure as a human being.
this does not make you worse than your peers or the people around you.
there will be moments in your life where there is a lot of work to be done — and you cannot do it all.
what I want you to practice is the idea that this is okay.
what I want you to do is release this heavy robe and shed it down to your ankles.
there is not a lot you can do when you are carrying the burden of being a failure better than you could without it.
I understand that it is hard to release this robe.
I understand that it is often what we feel protects us.
we might feel naked without it.
but underneath, there is a body — your body — waiting to be exposed to the warm breeze. There is body and flesh, waiting to be exposed to the air. And that can feel uncomfortable. And it can also feel liberating.
You get to choose the pace at which the robe is exposed. You get to choose the pace at which the burden is released.
You don’t have to do it all at once. Try (letting the robe fall down) a shoulder.
and see what happens. See how you feel. You can always pull the robe back up again.
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PPS. I’m doing a workshop in September, called Rooting into the Spirit of Your Business — it’s a workshop all about getting into the relationship between you and your business. And by ‘business’, I mean the work that matters to you.
Come along if you want to feel held and supported in exploring the relationship between you and your creative work; between you and the work you want to do in this world; and between you and the work that brings you fulfilment.