How to Even-Achieve when Overscheduled
The last 10 days in my world have been absolutely bonkers. There were family birthdays, school plays, rock concerts, dance concerts, workshops, driver’s tests, unseasonably warm weather (which is ridiculously tempting to a gardener), and more. It seemed like I hardly had a moment to breathe. As soon as one thing finished, I needed to turn my brain power over to the next thing – jumping from task to task.
In the middle of all of this, my TEDx talk reached and passed 50,000 views.
I had set a goal and made a deliberate plan for how I was going to publicly celebrate hitting this milestone. But with everything else going on – there was no time to implement the plan. I saw the number Monday morning, shouted a “Hey honey! My talk is at 50k today!” and then rushed to pack the car with all the things I needed for the day.
One of the core teachings in my workshops and keynotes is the importance of pacing to celebrate – and here I was struggling with implementing that concept. It felt outside of my control. It wasn’t my fault all these things coincided!
So how do we Even-Achieve in times like this?
If I’m pacing too fast to celebrate, where do I go from here?
It could be tempting to think, “I need to be firmer in my boundaries!” And try to cut out things to “protect my peace.” But if I had done that, I would have missed out on events that, quite frankly, I need to be a part of.
So, instead of boundaries, I chose to renegotiate with myself and others. (If you want more on why negotiation is the better skill here, check out last week’s article here)
To tackle a renegotiation—without losing face—we need to first ask, “Where do I have power?”
I teach a magical question for this in my workshops. To identify where your power is, ask:
What can I…
- Influence
- Control
- Accept
(Kudos to the amazing Sydney Davis for teaching me this question!)
As I looked at these last several days, I knew I could not control the events that had been scheduled and so I chose to accept them as they were. This also meant I needed to renegotiate with myself about my own expectations of the importance of celebrating at exactly the 50 k mark.
I then thought through what I could control – starting first with asking myself how I wanted to show up at these events. I knew that my priority was to be present for my people. Suddenly, pacing to celebrate took on a different meaning in this context. I knew my best celebration was going to be in the social support I gave and received to those who matter most.
My standards of perfectionism for everything else I was trying to juggle dropped. Did we eat out more in the last 10 days than we probably have in a year? Yep. Did I let the weeds continue to thrive in my garden for a little longer? Definitely. Is my kitchen a mess? Yes… but that’s also not new. Did I make my daughter wait an extra day to go the DMV to get her license because fitting it in on the day she wanted wasn’t possible? You better believe it.
What I didn’t let drop was how loud I cheered for my kids on those stages, or how I held my family close at the birthday celebrations, or that I danced my own heart out during my annual tap concert, or even the fact that I remembered to pull my phone out and take pictures (something I’m especially bad at when I’m overextended).
This was me giving my best – not my all.
And in acknowledging that I showed up as my best in the moments that mattered most, I’m suddenly freaking proud to share that my TEDx talk has reached 53,000 views and counting. (50k was overrated anyway 😉)
Thanks for reading with me today! If you’re interested in knowing more about what Even-Achieving looks like in your day-to-day life, I’m extending a special offer to my readers. I’m opening 4, totally-free-no-strings-attached 45-minute coaching slots through the end of April.
You can sign up for one of these spots here: https://calendly.com/erika-sageshipway/free-even-achieving-coaching-session
