Y’all. It has been a HOT minute since we’ve posted a blog. So sorry we’ve been MIA - but we’re back! Today, I want to talk about full plates. Not in a food and nutrition kind of way, but an overall life plate kinda way.
Have you ever felt like you have so many things on your plate, that you don’t know what to tackle first? That’s where I’ve personally been for the last few weeks. You enter survival mode. Getting things done, but not in your normal way and definitely not in the way and time frame you want to.
I’m a super organized person and thrive on completing my to-do list. I mean, like really thrive. It’s a competition to me and I loovee being able to mark those things off. I’ll even write things on the list that I’ve done that weren’t originally on there, just to mark them off. It’s weird, I know. I have zero shame. Just me?
Normally, this system works for me. It motivates me and keeps me trucking along. I can physically see myself accomplishing things and it pushes me to keep going. I’m like a productivity energizer bunny. But...sometimes that super productive system can hit the skids, and when it does….boy does it ever!
Building a business is no joke. Dana and I are multitaskers by nature, and are used to wearing several different hats at one time, but there’s a different level of pressure when you’re building something from scratch. It’s exciting, it’s terrifying, it’s awesome, and it’s a lot of work. That life plate very quickly fills up with work! Then add in family, friends, and all the other life stuff”, and you have a very overloaded plate.
What I would tell my clients when they’re presented with challenges like these is to pick a place and start working your way through that pile of “to-do” one thing at a time. But, what’s that saying?? Doctors make the worst patients. I’m guilty of this. I don’t always take my own advice, and sometimes it takes a reality check to get me back on track. I can’t really explain why and I never know what is going to click and get me out of my “funk”. Until the click happens, I struggle. I struggle with focus and find myself staring at blank pages on the computer screen or procrastinating with anything and everything but what I actually need to be doing. I can’t be the only one this happens to right?!
This time, my “click” happened while listening to Lori Harder’s “Earn Your Happy” podcast. Specifically episode 266. In this episode she and guest Patrice Washington talked about how to attract wealth rather than chase it. I know, I know… how in the world does this relate to having too much on your plate? Although they talked about a ton of things on the podcast (all great info), there was really only one sentence that really stuck with me. So much so that I called Dana to share with her!
“Clear your clutter (mental and physical) to make room for God to do work.”
So I did it. It was a process, let me tell ya. I started by cleaning out my office. I don’t mean just my desk either, I mean REALLY cleaning it out. I went through stacks of papers and old files and made decisions on what to do with them once and for all. They either got filed, got recycled, or got shredded if they contained any type of sensitive information. And y’all...I totally understand why people burn stuff after a bad breakup! It’s soooo freeing to get rid of clutter and crap! I moved through my office, cleaned out my car, purged my closet, and deep cleaned my house. Ya girl is baccckkk!
You may think it’s hokey - but I’m telling you - just give it a try.
Moving forward, intentionality, saying no sometimes, and regularly taking stock of what I have on my plate is going to be important to keep from getting to this point. Inevitably though, the overload will happen again - it’s life after all! When it does, you better believe the first thing I’m doing is decluttering!
For now my plate is still full (but manageable), but my mind is clear, my spaces are organized, and I’m back on track.
What can you declutter this week to clear up some space??