How do you know when to stop? How do you know what to stop?
My friend Adam Johnson says we should all create a “stop doing list.” In a world of more-more-more, this might be the best advice of the year. The question is: what?
An important distinction
Efficiency is trying to fit more in. Discernment is figuring out what you should fit in.
An average life-coach helps you fit more into your life.
A great life coach helps you do less.
An exceptional life coach helps you discover what less to do.
Here are two ways to determine what to stop doing.
In Transition
Ask: what do I want to hang onto? What should I take with me, and what should I leave behind?
If you haven’t been in a transition lately, and don’t see one coming, consider every Sunday morning a transition. What should you leave behind this week? What’s one behavior, decision, meeting, or relationship you can distance yourself from?
A joy audit
Or, at the end of the next three days simply ask: what brought me joy (hold on to that) and what brought me stress? You might not be able to stop doing everything that creates stress, but you can intentionally distance yourself from your identity being tied to it.
Decide what to stop doing. You’ll make room for more things you should be doing.