Be a Quitter!

Most of us have a ‘to do’ list but how many people keep a ‘won’t do’ list?

Today we are all overscheduled, over stimulated and overburdened. At one time I was overscheduled, over stimulated and overburdened. My calendar was full, I was scheduled weeks out and I did not have a day off planned for months.

Then something horrible thing happened…my phone crashed and I lost my to-do list and my calendar. I even lost my contact list so I was unable to call people and try to recreate my schedule.

At first I felt extreme anxiety, then I felt lost, then I felt …..free.

As I restored my calendar and to-do list I became very discriminate about how I spent my time. I determined my priorities and ensured that anything I scheduled was in an effort to further my goals. As I re-built my to-do list I also constructed another list…the Won’t Do list. This is a list of things I won’t do in my business and personal life because it does not follow with my priorities or goals. Following are some examples.

If we produce over $10K during the morning in our office I do not ‘do’ anything that afternoon regarding work. I go home and ice my wrists and elbow. I take a quiet walk with my dog. I relax and recharge for the next day.

I will not perform procedures on patients if I feel I am getting sick, feel tired or if my wrist or back pain has flared. If I cannot perform to the best of my ability the patient is rescheduled. This benefits me and the patient.

I do not schedule meetings with people. I do not like having my schedule totally blocked with afternoon meetings. Because I see patients in the morning I never know how I am going to feel in the afternoons. Therefore I do not ‘sign up‘ for any clubs, meetings or groups. I offer my assistance and presence when available if they desire-and I have never had any organization say no.

I keep my schedule open and only plan things for the next 72 hours. This includes workout sessions, massage appointments and physical therapy visits. Every day I see over scheduled parents and kids stressed about running late to their next obligation. When I was a kid we did not have ‘play dates’ and extracurricular activities every day of the week. Sometimes I wonder if this hectic schedule is responsible for the rise in ADD and ADHD children.

No one seems to have any ‘down time’.   Someone once said we are human beings not doings.

I do not serve on any committees. I was asked to serve on a committee at my church. I would only need to commit to 2 hours a week. I found in the past that when I committed just a couple of hours a week to a group I started to resent the time it took from my family I politely declined, thanked them for thinking of me and told them that I would be happy to serve in the future.

My church has a saying that if you cannot tithe monetarily perhaps you can tithe your time. Well at this juncture in my life my time is more precious so I tithe money. Once a month I donate to one charity or another to show my support and interest. Someday when I am retired (or at least slow down at office) I plan to tithe both time and money. I look forward to serving on plenty of committees in the future but this does not fall in with my priorities at this time.

Sometimes, I feel guilty when I say no to these groups but I must remember my priorities are my family, employees and patients. If I over obligate myself then I will be stressed out and then not be able to function at 100 percent. Taking care of yourself is not so much about ‘you’ it is about being able to contribute to the people who are dependent upon you.

If the temperature is higher than 90 degrees or colder than 40 degrees I do not exercise outside. I cringe when I see people riding their bike or even walking in the sweltering heat. Exerting this pressure upon myself does not make me feel better. It actually makes me feel weak the next day.

I like a clean house but I don’t have the energy to clean it the way I like. So I hired someone to clean every other week. Now when I do clean (which I enjoy) I clean or organize an area instead of worrying about the minutiae of the whole cleaning process.

Try as hard as I might I cannot cook – therefore I pay a wonderful woman to cook us healthy, delicious meals two times a week.   My family is extremely happy about this arrangement!

Give yourself a break…give yourself a ‘Won’t Do’ list.

Having a Won’t Do list gives me the time and freedom to concentrate on the things that I have made a priority in my life – my To Do List.