The New York Times on Sunday had a terrific article titled, Work-Life Balance is a Myth, by Tiffany Dufu. I loved the approach in the article, driven around answering the hard question of “what really matters?”
I sometimes think of this as “what is my Best Yes?” which I stole from the namesake of Lysa TerKeurst’s book. So what does this mean? It means asking: Do I really need to go to that social gathering after work? Do I really want to stay out late on Friday, ( or would I rather have a robust Saturday morning?) Should I take the time to pick out a meaningful card for a dear friend’s birthday, or can I wing it and buy one on the way to the party? What is the best use of my time right now – a walk in nature to clear my head or jumping on another call to push through on being more productive?
There are no wrong answers. What is best for you, at this present time in your life, is what matters.
Here’s an excerpt from the article that I found to be both a simple and meaningful way to start figuring this out …
“– try this visualization exercise adapted from the book, ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’ (Side note: That book is a classic must-read. In fact, I would go as far to say it should be required high school or college reading.)
Imagine three people eulogizing you at your funeral. What would they say about you? What do you hope they would say about you? Write this down.
Now, ask yourself: Are you on the path to becoming the person they describe? If not, maybe you’re not putting your energy into what’s the most important to you.”
Here’s where the “drop the ball” idea rolls in: Once you know what really matters to you, you can assess your current calendar and how your time and energy are being saturated. Once you do this, it all begins to come together, and somehow… magically, you can then take a discerning look at how you are investing your time and decide which balls you can – or rather should – drop. (If you are like me… there are atleast a few… let’s call them, “mis-prioritized” balls.)
What balls can you drop? Hopefully over the next few days you get a smile on your face when you purposely decide to drop a ball or two. Your joy and wellness are sure to accelerate when you do.
Have the best weekend!