Why do some of us feel compelled to do so much while others are comfortable doing what they can and nothing more?

The other day, Beth and I were meeting with friends, and the subject of personal productivity came up. Most of the people in the group are crazy busy trying to get everything done.

No matter how productive you are, when you look at your to-do list at the end of the day, you will no doubt find some things you’ve not finished. How does that make you feel?

When you look at the items remaining, are there ones that don’t belong there any longer? Giving yourself permission to delete things is empowering. Just because one time you thought it was important and added it to the list, doesn’t mean it still is. Think about how different the list looked last year, or ten years ago.

You get what you focus on, so be sure things on your list are worth your time and energy.

You had the inspiration to do something at one point, but it doesn’t mean you have to follow through. As we all know, ideas are cheap compared to the effort to make them happen. It reminds me of the saying that ‘not all blossoms become fruit’. Sometimes, just the flower is enough.

The spark of creativity brings forth the beauty of the bloom, but it’s not meant to last forever. If the conditions are right, it might become a fruit. If it doesn’t, that doesn’t diminish the radiance of the flower.

A tree doesn’t need all of its flowers to become fruit, nor does it need all of the fruit to grow into a tree. It needs but a few to grow into seedlings every year or so to add to the forest.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the need to be productive. Focus on what you want and allow the rest to fall away.