There is always lots to do.
My to-do list is piled so high that I’m going hard from dusk to dawn.
I know 2 things about myself:
1 – I like progression and forward movement.
2 – I need rest and recoup time because I’m a baby when I don’t feel 100%.
I’m not a TV watcher and I don’t drink or party. This means down time doesn’t happen in my world unless it’s intentionally planned.
One morning this past week as I was walking I realized I haven’t built something into the schedule that I can really look forward to. Right now I have my life completely formatted around work without any play.
I’m up early to write the blog, I work full time during the day, and my evenings are spent cleaning, doing yard work, scrambling around trying to figure out supper, or planning projects/taxi driving the kids.
I love my life and I don’t begrudge any of it, but I haven’t created a reward for myself and that just makes the work feel endless and exhausting.
We are all reward motivated. We can find an extra gear, a second wind, and do hard things when we have a payoff waiting in the wings.
So if you find yourself burning out, losing steam, or feeling weighed down by the to-do list… give yourself an attainable and achievable goal, to look forward to.
“When I make $5000 extra, I will take a holiday.”
“When I exercise 4 days per week for 3 months, I will buy myself a new pair of shoes.”
“I will practice a new skill everyday for a year and then enter a competition.”
Whatever works for you to keep you reaching forward and excited.