“We are driven, but we long ago lost sight of what we are driving toward. We judge our days based on how efficient they are, not how fulfilling.”
That’s a quote from Celeste Headlee’s book Do Nothing: How to Break Away From Overworking, Overdoing, & Underliving **Highly recommend**
Which, I think, raises several questions for all of us.
Questions I encourage you to take the time to answer for yourself.
How do I spend my time?
Do I enjoy how I spend most of my time?
When will the work I’ve done feel like it’s been enough?
Do I feel accomplished & fulfilled at the end of each day, or am I thinking about everything I have yet to accomplish?
What am I driving towards? What is the end goal?
In this culture of working for the weekend, how do we find joy & fulfillment in our daily lives?
As we shift into the new year, we usher toxic habits & bad vibes out the door. But what are we welcoming in? Will we end up exactly where we are today, feeling unfulfilled, or stagnant, or in a toxic relationship with our work emails?
I think it’s fair to say that we will end up exactly where we are now if we don’t recognize the harmful patterns of productivity dictating our lives every single day.
Remember, making your bed in the morning is an accomplishment. Taking ample water breaks is an accomplishment. Finding adorable puppy stickers for your planner is an accomplishment. Leveling up in your favorite video game is definitely an accomplishment. Reading a paragraph in your book before crashing at night is an accomplishment. Most importantly, these little things BRING YOU JOY.
So, celebrate them & let go of this arbitrary expectation you place upon yourself. Your time is valuable, priceless even. You don’t have room for holding yourself back from what you love, what brings you fulfillment.
Feel free to share any questions that came up for you. Maybe it’s a question the rest of us need to ask ourselves!