1053: You can't be on top of everything

All of our to-do-lists and someday piles are fit to burst. Today we’re taking an unconventional, and slightly uncomfortable, approach to ALL the things we have to do.

Episode transcript:

Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Thursday to you. So today, I wanna bust a myth that I think all of us bite into. And that can really keep us stuck and trapped and from doing the things that we really want to do. And that's this idea of being on top of it all. For so many of us, we put so many things on the someday pile to be done or to have our attention when we feel on top of it all or when we've got everything sorted. And a lot of the time, it's almost like we live for that moment. It becomes a carrot that we are always chasing yet never quite reach. Now for each and every one of us, being on top of it is gonna look differently.

We all have wildly different lives, and we probably all have an image of ourselves that we hold in our head of some future version of us where we are on top of it all and we've got it sorted. But to burst our bubble, if we were to go to that version of ourselves, the amount of time that we would stay on top of it would probably be very, very limited because life simply goes on. There are always more things to be done. There's always another load of washing. And so many of the tasks and the things that we have to do aren't one and done, but they are cyclical and they are infinite. So now that we've burst that bubble, I wanna create another bubble. And it's this idea of the liberation and the freedom that can come with accepting that we're never gonna be on top of everything, and that is okay. There's this part in the book four thousand weeks by Oliver Burkeman where he talks about his ambition to reach inbox zero.

And what he found was the more he tried, the more he was in his inbox, and the more emails he actually received and the harder it became. And I think there is a point where we try to be on top of things to the point that it almost becomes counterproductive because we just end up with more shit and the someday pile gets even further away. And this is what gets me excited because I think if we can kind of come to accept that we're never gonna be on top of things or our to do list is never gonna be empty or we're never gonna be done with everything, then we get to take some of those someday things and do them now. We do not have to punitively hold them hostage until we become this idealized version of ourselves. And, yes, it's probably gonna be messy at times, but we can do some of those things now. The projects that we have and the things that we most want to do do not have to be things that we have to earn because as long as they are, chances are we will keep moving the goalposts because the goalposts always move, and we'll never get around to them. And that would just be really sad. And I wanna end this episode with the truth.

Nobody is on top of all their shit, no matter how it looks and no matter how hard they try to make it look otherwise. And I think if we try to be really completionist about life and we also operate in a way that something is wrong with us because everybody else is doing everything, then I think we're in for a long, grueling ride. And I don't think any of us want that. So here's to being messy, imperfect humans. Here's to not being on top of our shit. I can tell you right now, I am not on top of my shit. Yet I've tried so long and so hard to be. And the only thing I succeeded in doing is putting all my hopes and dreams last and making myself a bit miserable.

But when I try to not do everything, that's when I have fun. That's when life feels a lot more meaningful. And the last time I checked, the world didn't end. So play around with it, see how it feels for you, this idea of being okay with not being on top of everything. And I hope it lightens your load too. I'll see you tomorrow.

Podcast transcript produced by Castmagic.io

ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST

A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!

The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.

If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.

Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines

MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!