Motivation Monday: Avoiding Overcommitment

I'm a firm believe in a healthy work/life balance but what happens with your social activities start to take over your life? Here are some tips to avoid overcommitment. Just say no! =) 

• Take Control: Over promising, overextending, overestimating and overdoing does not help you live a balanced life, take care of yourself or develop a positive and healthy professional identity. It always seems that there's too little time and too much to do. But selecting your activities and opportunities carefully is one of the most important skills to master. Saying "no" and respectfully declining enticing opportunities will serve you much better than taking on a project, then quitting and letting people down once you're involved. 
• Examine your schedule and available time. Sit down with your calendar and list all of your responsibilities, as well as your routine and mandatory activities. After reviewing your schedule, determine if you have already taken on too much. Can you scale back any of your activities to free up more time for new opportunities? Decide what is realistic and what is most important to you in light of your existing obligations.
• Avoid last-minute commitments. While a calendar can serve as a useful visual reminder of standing and upcoming events, too many blank spaces may tempt you to fill them quickly with new activities. Before taking on another obligation, be sure to obtain a good description of what will be expected of you and the time investment. Consider how the new activity will contribute to your development and if it's in-line with your goals. Be sure to set aside time in your schedule for rest and relaxation. Days reserved "just for you" or "just for family" are as important as everything else!
  
• Say "no" and "yes" and mean it. Learning to say no can be a very difficult thing to do. People that you don't see or interact with on a regular basis may not realize the full extent of your time commitments. When your schedule is already pushing its maximum capacity, it's not only permissible, but important, to say no and to feel comfortable setting limits.

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