You'll Never Finish Your To-Do List
Are you feeling stretched thin these days?
(Again? Still? Perpetually? Yeah… same.)
If so, you’re not the only one.
Sometimes it seems like the world is speeding up while simultaneously falling apart. And, for a recovering high achiever like me who often overworks to attempt to control things when I’m feeling anxious and uncertain, that can lead to me adding a lot of things to my to-do list and then beating myself up for not being able to complete my unrealistically long list.
Sound familiar?
If so, today’s reminder is for you.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but…
You’ll never finish your to-do list.
I recently blew a workshop participant’s mind when I told her this. I’ve never seen someone so mind boggled.
She had come up to me after the stress management workshop I had just facilitated to tell me that she enjoyed my session but struggled with prioritizing herself due feeling like she couldn’t take a break until her to-do list was empty.
I acknowledged her situation and told her I understood how hard it was since I had once been her… until I experienced burnout for the second time.
My body and mind had been screaming for a break, but I hadn’t been listening. So, they decided to take one for me.
Now, I know better. Here’s what I do instead.
How to rest better in spite of having things on your to-do list:
Reframe “Me Time” as essential, not optional
You are not a machine, but, even if you were, you’d get regularly scheduled maintenance to ensure that you were functioning optimally. The breaks you schedule are less energetically costly than the breaks we are forced to take when we experience burnout or illness due to stress.
In other words, take a break before a break takes you.
Without regular rest and recovery, we will break down. Allocating even brief moments to yourself isn’t self-indulgent, it’s an essential part of maintaining energy and wellbeing.
Redefine rest
Rest doesn’t have to mean doing nothing—consider active rest like taking a walk or creative rest like journaling.
You can discover more ways to incorporate rest into your life here: You Probably Have the Wrong Idea About Rest
Embrace Imperfection:
Let go of the belief that everything needs to be “done” perfectly or fully for you to be able to rest. Identify what can wait or be delegated (see below for more on this!).
Time Blocking for Rest:
Intentionally schedule short breaks and downtime. Treat rest as non-negotiable, just like the other parts of your life that you always show up for.
Example: 20 minutes of phone-free, screen-free time where you do something that really restores you.
You can find more ideas for this practice here: The 2 Time-Management Strategies That Keep Me from Burning Out Again
Practice Micro-mindfulness:
Use small moments in your day to rest your mind (e.g., focus on your breath for 1 minute).
Build brief pauses into routine tasks like waiting in line, riding the elevator, or drinking coffee.
This “Ten Breaths” meditation is one of my favorite things to do while I ride the elevator up to the floor I work on in the hospital. You can do it with your eyes open, and other people won’t even notice that you’re doing it.
How can you get some rest or take something off your to-do list this week?
if you’re looking for some support to begin to make adjustments in your own life, I will have some 1:1 and group coaching offerings opening up soon. You can get all of the details by subscribing to Humans Leading. See you next time!
xJillian
