When I commit myself to something I always try to commit fully; however, I have found myself in situations where I have taken on too much. When this happened I was first torn, as I felt I needed to honour my commitments and I also did not want to start feeling resentful towards the tasks I signed up for. My time and energy—along with yours—is valuable. In my mind, time and energy is just as valuable as money and I need to spend it on what matters. So should you!

We can juggle calendars, download task managers, time block, write to-do lists and fit in as much as we can in a day, a week and a month but are we filling our time with what matters or are we just chaotically busy with being busy? Have we prioritized what matters with what matches the value of our time? Have we thought of everyone else’s needs before our very own?

I decided to prioritize and commit to what matters most and put my valuable time where it needs to be. I have decided that if what I signed up for and what I commit to does not bring value to my time, then I simply need to prioritize.

1. Family is and will always be my first priority when it comes to where I invest my time. Our family life is busy and our schedules for dance do not offer much time for any other extra-curricular activities. However, when we do have downtime, we can be found hiding out at home or getting together with close friends.

2. I am passionate about my work and promised myself long ago that I would not work within a role that does not make me happy, keep me challenged and provide fulfillment. When I spend forty plus hours at work, it best be with a team I adore and a vision I believe in. I am fortunate enough to have found the ideal fit for employment.

3. Many of us tend to put everyone else’s needs before our own—I am guilty of this; however, I have learned, quite quickly, that if I don’t take care of myself I am unable to effectively take care of anything else. Therefore, I make sure to make time for exercise, eating well, quiet time and time with those I love.

If you have initially committed to a task or a committee, there was certainly an initial reason why.  Maybe you have lost sight of that reason and need to remind yourself of why you initially felt the need or want to commit. Maybe you need to re-visit your goals and revise accordingly. I have had to make adjustments in my day-to-day to ensure I am spending time on what matters to me. I challenge all to do the same!

Next week I blog about the ‘The Art of Saying No’. Stay tuned!

Cheers!