I loved this post on “7 Things to Stop Doing Every Day from Marc and Angel Hack Life. Marc and Angel is a blog I like. They “enjoy sharing practical thoughts on a broad range of topics pertaining to life, hacks, productivity, aspirations, health, work, tech and general self improvement.” If you don’t know them you should check them out or like their page on Facebook for some great content.
They had a great graphic to go with – here it is:
As I said, I loved this post and these ideas. Sadly, I can be guilty of most of these on a daily basis. I really like the blog post section on #4 – “Saying Yes When You Really Mean No”:
4. Saying “yes” when you really mean “no.”
Stop over-committing. While saying “yes” can take you down some wonderful roads, there’s also a ton of value in saying “no.” Your time in life is extremely limited; do you really want to give it away so easily?
If you don’t have time to commit to a new project, fulfill a favor, etc., it’s a good idea to just say “no.” Refusing a new request from friends, family, customers, etc. can be difficult, but rarely is it as stressful as over-committing and leaving no time for yourself…
As someone who over-commits and fills every moment with activity (#7), this is tough for me! I have to start saying no more as I know I can become resentful and feel “used up”. It is a challenge to say no – especially when you want to help or feel you should. Anyone have any ideas on the best way to do this?
The other thing I thought of when I saw this list was a conversation about another Marc and Angel “don’t” list a while back. My friend, Carolyn, said she’d prefer a more affirmative “do” list. I mentioned a similar thing on Facebook and my friend, Dae, suggested that I blog about it.
As much as I like the “don’t list”, it was not hard to rephrase it in the affirmative, so here goes:
- Focus your attention on those who care about you
- Be present
- Make decisions
- Commit to things you have time and energy to do (and that you want to do!)
- Only buy things you need (and donate/gift extras that you don’t!)
- Confirm the facts and ask questions of people you are interested in directly; go to the source
- Make time for rest and renewal
This “do” list really resonates with me. I decided to make a little graphic of my own and keep it at my desk to remind myself. Here it is:
What do you think?
PS. Today is my brother’s birthday, as a gift to him (and me) you can like his business’ new Facebook page or check out his new website I may be biased, but I think he is the best caterer and has awesome style, too!