Do Less: 8 Little Notes To Help You Pull Back And Reset

If it feels like life’s demands are coming from every direction, it’s time to do less, pull back and reset. It may feel easier to keep going but at some point, too much is simply too much. It will stop you in your tracks.

Instead of waiting for everything to completely deplete you, shift your schedule, undo your to-dos, slow down, say no and whatever else you need to do to come back to you.

Do Less: 8 Little Notes To Help You Pull Back and Reset

1.

Productivity culture will call you to do more. It will make you believe that if you could do a little more, finish one more thing and just ignore what you know about yourself for a little longer, you’ll be happy, loved, successful, rich, and (insert other lies here).

Unfortunately, burnout and illness is the common response to productivity and hustle culture. Doing more things doesn’t make you a better person. It makes you a tired person. It’s time to rest, recover, renew and come back to you.

2.

So often we spend our time on things that have nothing to do with us. If you can relate, memorize these words … This does not belong to me. I will let it go now.

3.

Allow margin in your life. Even if it’s only five minutes at first. It matters.

4.

From tasks at work to everyday things like laundry and cleaning, we could dedicate every waking moment to work. It never stops. It’s too much. That’s why we play games like “catching up” and “getting ahead” to be more efficient and get more done but we know that we will never win that game. We would have won by now.

Instead …

Don’t measure who you are by what you accomplish.
Dump perfection.
Do things that are fun for you.
Prioritize rest.

5.

The way we dilute our time, energy and our hearts trying to do it all isn’t working. It’s time to care about less, to do less, to move more slowly and practice single-tasking. It’s time to rest.

Somethings gotta give. Lots of somethings.

Forget balance. It’s time for priority.

6.

We’ve done a big disservice by portraying rest and relaxation as something you get if you work hard, can do if you get everything done by the end of the day or something you deserve if you are completely run down and burnt out.

Contrary to popular belief, rest is not a reward but instead an essential part of your health and healing journey (a.k.a. your life). Here is more inspiration for guilt-free rest.

7.

When you are measuring (and measured) by how much you get done, it’s never enough. You will lose yourself to doing more because you forget how you feel, who you are and what you want. No more measuring. You have always been enough.

8.

Saying that I have nothing to do is not a complaint nor an invitation.

“Hi, what are you doing this weekend?”

“Nothing, I have no plans.”

“Ohhhh, do you want to …?”

We’ve all been in this situation, where well-meaning people either feel bad that we have nothing to do, or see an opportunity to put our free time to their good use.

We can either say yes and forfeit our time to do nothing (or anything) feeling resentful and often depleted or we can say this …

No, thank you.

You may not connect with all of these notes, but if one resonates with you, write it down. The next time you feel overwhelmed with your to-do list or obligations, revisit the words you wrote down and use them to help you do less, pull back and reset.

P.S. For more notes and quotes, and simple inspiration, join me on Instagram.