Today was #MotivationMonday — a perfectly appropriate social media trend if you’re on top of your game, but one that can incite feelings of inadequacy if you’re not.
I was not.
Do you ever have days where you get relatively nothing done (or at least, nothing compared to what you had hoped to get done)? Maybe a lack of sleep left you feeling lethargic. Maybe you’re fighting the flu and just couldn’t get your head in the game. Maybe you’re stricken with grief after the death of a friend or family member — or you’re mentally and physically preoccupied by a loved one’s illness.
When these experiences affect my life and the lives of those in my immediate circle, I’m reminded there is so much more to a meaningful existence than checking off the boxes on my to-do list.
And yet, still, we fetter ourselves with long lists of daily duties — as if they were talismans that could protect us from the everyday realities of grief, disappointment, and the very real fear of not being good enough.
As much as I enjoy learning about and discussing productivity hacks, the honest truth (my honest truth) is that most of these hacks are merely distractions — distractions that keep us so focused on the achieving that we forget about the enjoying.
And this idea that achievement is the holy grail of success and fulfillment is an ideal bombarding most adults. It affects how we work, how we play, how we prioritize tasks, and even how we rest. Have you heard of this thing called “polyphasic sleep?” It’s an alternative to the traditional eight or nine hours, in which a person gets their quota of shut-eye via multiple (short) sleep sessions within a 24-hour period. But as with most health trends that sound too good to be true, it can be risky.
The root of the problem seems to be our need to achieve. And in our insatiable craving to do more, we convince ourselves that if we check enough boxes, we’re doing something important with our lives.
But are we really?
When did we become so obsessed with our to-do list that we forgot the importance of our to-be list?
What radical transformations could we make in our lives if we focused as much on the being as we focus on the doing?
Coming from someone who’s prone to burnout, I’m learning that approaching each day as a challenge to be vanquished is not just exhausting, it’s not sustainable.
Some days, merely existing is enough. Sometimes, enduring a rotten day is enough. Some days, surviving is enough.
Friends, I hope you found time today to just be. And if you didn’t, I hope you are able to make time for being in the days ahead. There’s more to Mondays — and all the other days of your life — than the boxes we’ve checked.
daley muse 