Constraint: Focusing On What Is Important (Day 27 of 30)
Constraint: a limitation or restriction we put on ourselves to simplify our lives and focus on what is most important!
It sounds easy but it can be seriously challenging to reign in our interests. FOMO anyone?!?
Many of us cringe at hearing the word constraint because we have a phobia of missing out. We have so many things we want to do (or feel like we must do). But following that calling can send many of us into overwhelm pretty quickly - a complaint I hear often from my clients.
For example, I have my eye on at least half a dozen courses I want to take; friends I want to visit and travel with; a yearning to take up guitar again; and when oh when are we going plan our sabbatical trip around the world, etc? But if I tried to do all of this now, build my business, keep my health in check, and care for my family I’d quickly descend into overwhelm and produce a subpar life.
When we prioritize and focus we are able to put all our time and energy into one thing that we truly care about. On the other hand, thinking about too many things results in delivering subpar work.
Last year I constrained the first half of my year to reducing my migraines and the second part of the year to transitioning to a new career. I succeeded in both because I focused all my creative energies on each. Goals direct our minds and keep us laser-focused and disciplined.
Constraint also allows us to minimize decision fatigue because we decide ahead of time how we are going to focus our energy. I see this a lot with moms returning to work and casting a wide net in terms of pursuing multiple career tracks and salary ranges in the name of keeping all options on the table. The lack of clarity and focus leads them to spinning their wheels and applying to jobs that they aren’t genuinely interested in. This can lead to unnecessary fatigue, frustration and overwhelm. But those who decide to invest the time upfront in researching which career tracks truly interest them are more specific about their job searches. As a result, they are able to conserve their time and energy, and focus all their creativity and effort on their goal instead of being spread thin.
When we constrain, we free up brain cells to think creatively about our goals and design new approaches. But when we are in overwhelm, that isn’t available to us. When we make decisions ahead of time we reduce the overwhelm and gain a little more freedom.
How would your life benefit from some constraint? Are you willing to subtract and miss out on things in order to improve the areas of your life that really matter at the moment?
(P.S. It doesn’t have to be forever, just one major focus at a time.)
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✨See you tomorrow for Day 28 of 30 lessons learned from 2019!
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