I Hereby Give You Permission To Do Less

One of the most common comments I receive from the young audiences I speak to is that I’m one of few people who actually tell them it’s okay to do less. Today, I decided I wanted to send the same message to you. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, stretched too thin, or under immense pressure to do it all and have all the answers, I’m here to give you permission to release. Please, breathe more and slow down. You don’t have to change the world or revolutionize your life in one day. It’s not possible. That takes time. There are, however, a few things you can do today to release pressure and create more ease. These are my go-to that I would love to share with you…

1. Write yourself a permission slip

This is one of my favorite activities to do when I’m feeling overwhelmed. Remember when you were a kid and you had to carry that permission slip home from school to get your parents signature? Yes, I’m talking about that kind of permission slip. You no longer need the permission of a parent, but we tend to be pretty stingy about giving ourselves permission. If you need to give yourself permission to dream bigger, to do less, to release something, or free ourselves from pressure, go ahead and write yourself a permission slip. This could be something as simple as a post-it note or as grandiose as a formal document you spend time editing and creating. Give yourself permission. This is your life!

*** I do not give you permission to use this activity as a procrastination strategy. Be clear about your intentions and use this to empower, not distract.***

2. Prioritize your to-do list. 

It’s as simple as 1-2-3. What needs to happen TODAY? What doesn’t really need to happen until next week? Clarifying your list of “needs” into more realistic categories can lift the weight off your shoulders. You can get ultra organized by simply starting from the bigger picture. This is why calendars and planners give you monthly options as well as day-to-day planning. This is also an incredible way to have a solid perspective on how you an accomplish goals. Instead of looking at the enormity of the task at hand, break it down to a day by day process. That is how time moves, correct?  Take 10 minutes (that’s all this takes) or even two commercial breaks to get yourself organized and strategized. You will be so thankful in the end!

Potential categories:

Today

Tomorrow

Next week

This month

This year

Birthdays

Anniversaries

Laundry Day

Meal prep day

Girls weekend

Intention of the week

3. Pick out your clothes the night before 

This one is so simple but it will save you time (and probably a headache) in the morning. Steve Jobs was known for wearing the same outfit every single day. Doing so created more mental space for other priorities. I’m not suggesting you wear the same thing every day, but what if you took 3 minutes at night to pull your outfit for the next night out of the closet so it was ready to go in the morning? Would you spend less time staring at your clothes? Would you potentially wear something other than the same 4 outfits every week? Changing one small habit can make a huge difference in your day. Try this one for one week and see what happens. No harm, no foul if it doesn’t work .

4. Exercise 

I know this sounds like I’m telling you to DO something instead of reducing stress, but honestly, girl, exercise gives you energy. Energy makes you happier and more likely to enjoy your day. Enjoying your day makes life better. A better life means more joy overall that will ripple out from you and change your energy. Plus, you’re investing in a long game that will benefit you years from now. There’s nothing to lose here. Go for a walk. Dance around your house naked if you want to. Do yoga. Go for a run. Open YouTube and type in work-out videos. You have access to so much FOR FREE if you’ll allow yourself to look for it. It. Will. Be. Worth. It.

5. Learn the value of NO 

This is probably the most challenging but powerful piece of advice I can offer you in this list. Learning to say “no” takes work for many women. We’re taught that our value is in making other people happy and we can do that by saying “yes”. Frequently. So much so that we exhaust ourselves and say “yes” to things we hate doing and wonder how we wound up stretched so thin. Teach people that when you say “yes” you mean it. Do that by saying “no”. You can strengthen this muscle by practicing with a friend or trusted loved one. Have them ask you to do ridiculous things so saying “no” will be simple. Then, work up to the more challenging “no”. It is absolutely okay to say “no” and you are fully capable.