Too Much on Your Plate?

Our eyes are often bigger than our stomachs. Take Thanksgiving, for example. The combinations of aromas draws us in, turkey, stuffing, crescent rolls, ham, green beans, macaroni and cheese, cupcakes... all ours for the taking. By the time we grab a plate, we are either starving, grabbing anything that looks good, or we are already at our 2nd house of the day, and even if we aren't hungry, we load up a plate anyway. The end result in each scenario is wasted food and an overly full stomach; enter turkey induced coma. 

Our eyes are also bigger than our stomachs when it comes to planning. We want it all; we want to wake up at 4:30am every morning to meditate, write in our gratitude journal, workout, shower, listen to a podcast, call mom, be more productive at work... the list goes on, and we haven't even made it past noon! It's way easier to think of all the things you "should do" or "want to do" than it is to actually complete them, which is why it can be so tempting to write out never ending to do lists. 

When we demand too much from ourselves, it actually causes more harm than good. It unleashes feelings or inadequacy and disappointment in ourselves; not very empowering or productive. 

Identify Your Top 3

Pick 3 things that once completed, mean your day was a success. It doesn't matter how big or small they may seem, just recognize the importance of completing these tasks and commit to completing them that day. 

You Can Say "Yes, But Not Now"

I learned this concept from Gabby Bernstein and it's done wonders for me; you can say yes to an idea, but that doesn't mean you need to actively work on it or pursue it right away. Let the idea marinate. Journal on it. Think about it, but allow yourself permission to work on other things in the meantime.

Think About the Bigger Picture

We often neglect to think about the reason behind why we're putting something on our to do list in the first place. Do we really need to do all the things we're putting onto ourselves? Probably not. If you find yourself putting the same task off day after day, ask yourself why you're avoiding it in the first place. Is there a way to outsource it? Little tweaks like this can help put you back in control of your day and take your to do lists from never ending to done. 

xoxo,

Allison