Expect less of yourself 

What do you want to accomplish today? This week? This year? In your lifetime?

I know that what I want to accomplish and what I am capable of accomplishing are very different things.

If I had it my way, in the next year I’d write a new blog post every day, finish client projects the day they land on my to-do list, write a book, launch a course, be a regular contributor to a major website, have an impeccable home, master the exercise activities I’ve been meaning to try, be involved in multiple community groups, become a hobby photographer, try new cookbook recipes every week, take art classes, travel the country with my son, spend a ton of time just being with family and friends, and also read every book on my favorite library shelves during ‘me’ time. Actually, I’m probably missing a lot from this list, but it’s a good glimpse into the things rattling around in my brain at this time. Life is short and I have always wanted to do a lot with it.

It’s easy to beat yourself up for not doing more, for having a to-do list that never gets checked off. But what if we only put a couple achievable items on our plate each day? What if we can pick the most important (not just the urgent) tasks and slowly work toward actually completing the goals that truly mean something to us?

By lowering your expectations, you take control of your time. I didn’t even realize that I had placed that giant list on myself until I sat down and wrote it out. I just kept feeling deflated when I realized how little progress I make toward those goals each day.

So write your list for the year out, and then take some time to lower your expectations. What can you simplify and what can you cut? How can you lay the groundwork to get some of the major items started? And how can you manage the ‘other’ stuff you actually have to get done each day to leave you more time to tackle the things that are important to you?