the point where “energized” becomes “overwhelmed”

Posted in go to work and tagged with , , , , , , on 05/26/2010 05:51 pm by Becca

Disclaimer: if you’re here looking for a #BiSC recap, this is not that. Apologies.

Once upon a time, not so long ago, I was talking with my supervisor/mentor/superwoman, Jerri and I said to her, “It’s like I’m energized by my own life.” She told me I should blog that. I think there’s an unfinished draft in there … somewhere.

There are SO! MANY! amazing things going on in my life. House shopping! Mentoring! Ad2 Reno reorganizing! Writing! Bike rides! Live tweeting the raddest blogger event! Hanging out with my superawesome family! Not to mention all of the growing, learning and amazing work* I do at my job.

But at some point, the law of diminishing returns comes into play and the energy I put in to the awesome starts taking away from the energy that comes out. And that = tired Becca.

So um, that’s it I guess. Because, right now I can’t and/or really don’t want to put any of it down. So tell me, friends. How do you balance it all? How do you make room for everything in your live that’s important to you?

* Amazing, as in the work is awesome and fun. NOT amazing, as in I produce amazing work. I mean I do – but that’s not what I mean here. Just, shhhhh.

  • Busy Girl! I just wanted to say thank you for making time to mentor- you've been amazing. And, per your advice, I've started my blog (kind of) I only have the "about" section filled out if you want to check it out: moxiephilosophy.wordpress.com ....take a breather first though and get to it when you can :)
  • YAY! That is very exciting news ... about to respond to your e-mail so we can plan to meet! VERY much looking forward to reading some of your writing! <3 <3
  • Hm. How to make time for things that are important? Well, I deem sanity important, so I actually have a habit with a calendar to mark time as tentative "unscheduled" time. Things like video games, guitar, or even napping (though I try to avoid that). Your life sounds just as busy as mine -- so I say schedule some off grid time before you lose it!
  • Love this. So simple, but of course seems impossible at the same time. I wouldn't schedule a meeting and then bail, so why schedule something for myself and then not follow through?!

    Thank you!
  • I struggle with this one a lot. The answer sometimes is to just go, go, go until I crash, and then take some time off.

    The better answer is to do things in spurts. I'll focus on one thing for a period of time, not dropping the others, but not feeling guilty if I don't devote a lot of time to them. They'll get their turn.

    Ultimately, it's about priorities. I used to get overwhelmed because I was doing both the things I loved and the things I thought I "should" be doing. Now I drop the shoulds, and focus only on the "I loves," that tends to keep the energy coming back in, without the diminishing returns.
  • So true ... It can definitely get tough when it seems like everything comes to a point of "it needs to get done NOW," but sometimes you have to get ahead to avoid getting behind ... thanks friend!!
  • I am awful at this. I get so absorbed by work, and work and more work that everything else seems to drop. Not that I don't love my job. I love my job. I'm crazy passionate about it and I believe in what I do everyday. (cheese, cheese, cheese I know.)

    But, after I get done with a 12- to 14-hour deadline day all I want to do is go home, curl up on the couch with my big chenille blanket and watch reruns of some TV show.

    That does not leave time for other things I want to do like: making new friends in SLT, decorating my apartment, doing more fun outdoor activities, finding volunteer opportunities (and the time to do them), reading the 25+ books on my nightstand not to mention the 50+ in my living room that I haven't touched yet, studying for the GMAT, keeping in touch with more friends and family, cooking more, cleaning my apartment, (add more things to the list to infinity).

    So while this is not helpful advice in your desire to achieve balance and energy while still doing everything you want to do, I guess I'm just saying that I taste your soup, and that I'm reading here to find out other people's advice too.
  • :( :(

    That just made me way sad.

    But also, I know there is a way. There is a way for us to work hard at our careers, which we love so much, but also make time for everything else that's important to us. When I find out what that is, I'll be sure to let you know.
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