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This week we are thinking about setting priorities. We are living in times where stability may remain a memory. The chaos and turbulence of today produce unique impacts on everyone. These changes can throw new stressors into the mix and unbalance your life/work cycle.
In the best of times you are struggling to satisfy all the demands of your life in this new reality: your mental and physical health needs, leisure, spirituality, safety, pets, friends, citizenship, reacting to mass death, fighting for justice, colleagues, romantic partners, academic productivity, and kids; all competing for your time and attention. Are you exhausted yet?
What takes priority, when?
When one of your deeply held (or biologically necessitated) priorities is out of balance, you can feel it. You can experience it in your stomach like a little twinge that is trying to tell you something. It can equally feel like you are out of control, always racing from one thing to the next. Or you can feel the creeping anxiety of a deadline you are pushing off, or a significant day you don't feel ready for. Imbalance can also feel like you are an empty balloon, squeezed of contents with nothing left to give.
If you feel out of control, burnt-out, depleted, or like there are always not enough hours in the day: Right now is a crucial time to pause and reassess how you are giving your time and energy away.
Intentionally setting boundaries based on your priorities can involve saying 'no' to things that drain and distract. Being more selective can also mean lowering your standards. Your 80% perfection (likely 120% to someone else) is good enough. Doing this work can also mean a daily writing habit to help end the unfulfilled promises. Telling yourself "I'll work on this during the break" or "this weekend I'll get it done" month after month while not making progress is a vicious cycle. Balance can be regained.
You owe it to yourself to experiment and seek something new to protect your time for what matters to you.
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