Sometimes it’s not about saying no to other people but to yourself. I tend to underestimate how much time things will take. Or maybe it’s just that I overestimate how many hours there are in a day. Then I end up feeling overloaded and rushed, which is not the way I want to live.
Living by the list
I used to create long lists for myself every weekend. I found it satisfying to cross things off the list, but sometimes the list contained a few too many items and I’d get balky. Especially if it had been a long week at work and I hadn’t taken much down time over the weekend.
When I feel like this, I picture myself digging in my heels and refusing to budge. This is when I know I need to say no to something I’ve put on my own list. I remind myself that nobody else cares whether I plant the pansies or clean the pantry today or not.
So, I jettison a few, or several, things I meant to get done and revel in some time to do whatever the hell I want. Watch two episodes of the Gilded Age, or take a nap, or start some other project I feel the urge to immerse myself in.
No more weekend lists
Also, I quit making those weekend lists. Most of the things on that list were part of my weekend rhythm anyway. I almost always check our spending in Quicken on Saturday morning after I’ve had coffee and a crossword puzzle. I usually do a run on the Peloton tread after that, and then I clean the turtle pond while I’m in sweaty clothes.
If there’s some special project that needs to be done, I might scribble it on a notepad on the kitchen counter, but I don’t make that big list anymore. It helps me feel like my time is my own on the weekend, and I can just flow from one thing to the next.
Do you need to say no to your to-do list more often? For more on saying no — to give you more time to say yes to the important things, you might enjoy this post.
