Agile Event Session

Stop Being Busy so You Can be Awesome

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Abstract/Description

I used to be someone who said “yes” to everything. I became overwhelmed, stressed, frustrated, irritable, anxious, tired, etc. And the worst thing was that I did not feel like I was doing my best at anything because I had so little time for all my commitments and absolutely no time for myself. I did not want to disappoint people but my lack of boundaries led to me being disappointed in myself. Only one person could change the situation and that was me.

I started setting boundaries and making changes to give myself more time to do the things that were important to me.
Living in this new way was exhilerating! I could finally breathe again. I was less stressed and I was much happier with my schedule and my results. I could focus on fewer things at a time which enabled me to do my best work. I was proud of the things I accomplished instead of being exhausted just looking at my list of to-dos. It was and still is far more fulfilling for me to do a few things really well than to be mediocre in many things. It was no longer good enough for me to get proverbial “participation trophies.” I wanted to be awesome and win at life. Focusing my energy enabled me to accomplish great things instead of just completing a bunch of little things.
I am doing fewer things and my life is enriched beyond measure.
When you are overcommitted and overwhelmed, you often become a disappointment either to yourself or the people who mean the most to you.
In my many years of working in a professional environment, I have encountered countless “busy bees” who behave the same way I used to behave. Unfortunately, this has the opposite effect that they desire. Their lack of respect for their own time, sadly appears as a lack of respect of other people’s time.

Your goal is not to complete as much work as possible. The goal should be to do the right work at the right time with the best quality possible. Being busy is not the same as being productive and it certainly does not mean you are important. Do yourself a favor and focus on being amazing at a few things and you will see how quickly your life can turn around.

Additional Resources

Speaker(s) may be willing to present this session at local group meetings and other events.

XP 2020

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