I’ve always struggled with this idea of doing “enough” or being “enough.” Like I’m constantly coming up short in every aspect of my life. It’s always felt like I should be doing more, doing better. Many of you can probably identify with this feeling that there’s just not enough time. The thing is that the problem is not a lack of time. It’s not about finding the time to cram in as much as you can. Truly, what I’ve come to learn quite recently is that it’s really more about what I call intentional prioritization.

On an intellectual level, I suppose I’ve always known this to be true. There are only 24 hours in the day and there’s only one of me. It’s impossible to do everything and be exceptional at everything. While we may think that time management is the solution, it’s really about making more conscious decisions about how you choose to spend your time. I’m trying to be more intentional about what I prioritize and what I don’t.

Actions Speak Louder Than Goals

When I look at my goals for 2020 and I compare them to my actual actions, it’s abundantly clear what I choose to prioritize and what I don’t. For example, I want to read 25 books this year. That works out to a little over 2 books each month. At this point, a little over two months into 2020 and I’ve already finished 8 books, well ahead of pace. (I have three books on the go right now too.)

Hitting my daily step goal has been going well too. I want to hit it 250 times this year, so right around 21 times per month. In January, I hit my goal 28 times. In February, I hit it 21 times. So far in March, I’ve only missed two days. Pretty good. But… I haven’t had a single week where I’ve played one hour of “real” video games yet. That was another one of my goals for 2020 and I’ve basically ignored it.

Reading matters to me. My health matters to me. Gaming, not as much (anymore). And as much as I would love to achieve all my goals for 2020, the act of intentional prioritization means that some goals just get more attention than others. And that’s okay. It’s about balance and focusing on what really matters most.

Building a Healthier Mindset

Instead of falling down the bottomless pit of social media for the 52nd time, I’ll take a walk around the neighborhood. I’ll collect those steps, while listening to an audiobook at the same time. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone. Another goal is to cut myself some slack and to forgive myself for being human sometimes. I think it’s a healthier mindset and working toward that can be challenging. Likewise with trying to stop working at least one hour before bed.

But, I know that these are healthier choices. Rather than run my life on autopilot, I’m being more conscious about my decision making. Again, it’s about intentional prioritization. Do I wish I had time for more hobbies that aren’t side hustles or activities related to “challenges”? Of course. But, I also recognize the inherent limitations of daily life. And I also recognize the importance of “off” time.

That’s why I value “date nights” that have nothing to do with any in particular at all. We caught the Art’s Club Company’s production of Kim’s Convenience recently, followed by some bubble tea and a game of Jenga. It was glorious. This was an opportunity to blow off some steam with some good laughs and tapioca pearls. It’s also a terrific visualization of how precarious life-work balance can be, don’t you think?

You Can Do Anything…

But not everything, at least not at the same time. Exercise intentional prioritization and choose the thing that matters most to you. It’s easier said than done, but you just have to let go of all those other things that don’t matter as much. I don’t follow sports anymore, nor do I watch late night talk shows aside from catching the highlights on YouTube. And that’s okay. No big deal.

Once you get past the mental block, once you can choose to let go — admittedly, it’s a doozy — you won’t feel stretched quite so thin. Maybe, just maybe, you had enough time all along. You just had to make it a priority to choose accordingly.