What is it about modern life that beseeches us to over commit? Especially when over commitment can easily create lots of stress. I’m trying to move away from telling people I’m ‘busy’ when they ask me how I’m doing as if it’s some badge of honor. It’s not. Instead I think it suggests you’re on a treadmill, which is good 3x a week for 30 minutes, not all the time.
I’m realizing as I grow older and, ahem, wiser, that under commitment is the way to go. Why? Because life throws us unexpected events all the time. How will we handle them if we’re already over committed? We start dropping balls, which creates even more stress.
On the other hand, if we are fortunate enough to not have anything unexpected happening, then we simply have some free time on our hands to do something relaxing or creative. I believe a relaxed mind is much more creative, which is why we spontaneously generate ideas when we’re doing something simple like showering or cutting flowers. If you haven’t come up with any good ideas for your business lately, then you might not be relaxing enough. Hmm.
How will you apply this idea of under commitment if you’re presently way over committed? Gradually. Start extricating yourself from commitments over time. When it comes time to renew one, don’t. When someone asks you to sign up for a new commitment, decline. It’s a habit you need to cultivate or you’ll never be able to leverage the power of under commitment for creativity, relaxation, planning, goal-setting, and so much more that’s only done with consistent free time.
Another magical thing about under commitment is that it gives you much more time to spend with those that are closest to you. This may be what I value most about committing to this change in my life.
