This post was originally published on October 30, 2008. Enjoy! ~Nicki
Ahhh … such a weakness for me. My intentions are good. I just want to help. I don’t want to let anyone down. Of course I can do that.
I’ll be plain and to the point on this one. Just because you have the time or the means to do a particular thing does not mean that you should do it. In short, just because you can doesn’t mean you should. You can over-commit in different ways.
- Your Time. You will be far more fulfilled when you do a few things well, not many things mediocre. Look at your schedule for the week. What things are absolute must-dos? Maybe things like grocery shopping, housework, cooking supper, caring for your children, or a date with your husband. Take care of the must-dos, but don’t feel like you always have to be the cupcake-maker, field trip-goer, church cleaner, and volunteerer. You are not the savior of everything. Say no sometimes! Again … don’t get me wrong, you should be positively contributing to your community in a selfless way, but never at the expense of your own family.
- Your Kids’ Time. Hmmm, a tough one. I’ll leave it at this: Do not allow your children to be involved in so many things that they can’t possibly become great at one of them. If your child wants to play a sport, take dance lessons, music lessons and also be on the chess team, when is she going to have time to practice all of those things? The over-scheduling lifestyle begins very early. Help your child develop healthy time-management skills while she is still young.
- Your Money. Have you scheduled every last penny? Are you honestly betting that not one little, unexpected event will come up? If you can’t change your income, then you have to change your expenses. Weed out the budget. Over-committing your finances is a trap, an anxiety-maker, and a fight-causer. Don’t do it. If you want the best for your family, clean up the finances and let money be the least important thing in your life. For more on this, check out Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover.
Have you ever given something up for the sake of a less-stressful schedule? It’s tough but I’ve done it and it was definitely worth it. What do you think?
Why I do what I do ~ so that my nieces can come to my house instead of daycare while my sister is working. I love to hear them yell “Auntie Nicki!”
photo credit: Brief Gasp
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