Revolutionary choosing

Why does choosing appear to be so hard? For individuals, in organisations… Personally, I get quite some questions how I ‘all’ do it. Be a mom, work, teach yoga classes, still publish blogs.

For me, it took some years to get here, but choosing is pretty simple to me now. For starters, I know my personal values. I know what I want to achieve in life. I know why I want to do that. Knowing this, almost doesn’t make my work feel like work. I simply love what I do and it gives me a lot of energy. This makes it easy for me to choose.

What you don’t see is what I don’t do. Currently, I plan a lot of time to rest, instead of going out with friends. To do yin yoga, to read a book, or to do nothing at all. Since I’m a mom, I don’t rush three (private) appointments in a day any more. There is no use in rushing with a kid. 😉

What are you available for?

Time is even more precious than before. So I’m picky in the way I spend it and who I spend it with. Now, I’m mostly talking about doing. My coach Selina took it even further and asked me: what are you not available for any more? I already had a list of what I’m not doing any more. But it wasn’t about that. Selina gave me the insight these are two very different things.

When I’m available, I’m all there. I don’t need to be somewhere else soon, I want to be there with my full attention. Things I work on, are all part of a bigger plan. They not only give an energy boost, but they have added value to my main goal. That’s why it doesn’t feel like a lot to me.

A revolutionary question

Sometimes it’s hard to say no, of course. It still seems like choosing is a revolutionary act. I see this in my assignments too. I see organisations struggle with all the things they need to do. Or, so they think.

Portfolios are overloaded. People overworked. And the common denominator is often: no choosing, no prioritizing. Last week I discussed this with a colleague of mine, a product owner in her current assignment. Another project was added to her backlog, so in return she asked what could go off. Eyebrows raised. She wondered: is that such a revolutionary question?

Apparently it is. It appears to be easier to not decide, not prioritze, not choose at all. But in the end it has a lot of consequences you might not want to see. So start or keep asking the questions. To yourself. To your manager. Because it makes your (working) life lighter in the end.