The last few months have been very educational. Besides moving to another country I have returned to work for eight hours a day and I have faced its attached constraints like having to wake up at the same time every day.
During my time at university I got used to work on several projects at the same time but with the little free time that I find myself with now it has been necessary to trim down on projects and commitments. That meant thinking about what was essential to me and it also meant saying “no” to everything else. It is hard to say goodbye to projects that I have been working on for several years. It is always far easier to say “yes” to everything and everyone and to try to create time out of air. Well, it doesn’t work. It burns you, it stresses you, it doesn’t allow you bring out quality and life flies in front of you without leaving you time to live it. Not trying to cheat when faced with constraints and actually taking the effort to be analytical and strong enough to say no is hard but my hope is that it will become easier with practice and that the few projects that I do commit myself to will allow me to live in a more meaningful and focused way.
I’m still working on it and, in the process, I am evaluating every project and relationship that I give my attention to. Without leaving the present, which is my new home, I am somewhat driven by goals and if I want to advance towards them I am convinced that focus and discipline are essential.
Have you faced this kind of situation before? Is it hard for you to say no?