Super Woman Or Super Tired?
The myth of the super woman is holding strong, stemming from the late '70s and haunting many of us even to this day. Convinced that we can "have it all", modern professional women and mothers have taken on so many roles, that leave us feeling exhausted, anxious, even depressed and burnt out.
Think about it. How many of us:
• Are trying to do it all but still feel like we are failing?
• Are always keeping busy?
• Rarely feel like we've done enough, even on vacation?
• Always put others' needs first?
• Have a hard time saying NO?
Perhaps it's time to drop our superwoman cape and put on a plan to feel more balanced. It's not easy, but here are some tips that can be helpful:
Share the workload
At work or at home, share the workload with colleagues, partners, collaborators, even your children. There is no prize for doing it all alone and everyone needs to do their part. Delegate tasks and responsibilities as much as possible.
Establish boundaries
Practice saying "no" more often. Before you commit to a new project, assignment or invitation, ask yourself if you 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 want or can, before you commit. And then ask yourself 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯! The typical answer for a superwoman is to say yes to everything and then scramble to deliver. Ask yourself twice and then set clear boundaries on what you can/will do.
Prioritize self-care
Self-care is health-care and a necessity, not a luxury. If you don't take care of yourself first, there is no way you can take care of others. Schedule time every single day for yourself, even if it is just 10 minutes. Make it a habit to put yourself first, even if it is difficult in the beginning.
Let go of perfectionism
The house does not need to be spotless clean 24 hours a day. There will always be something more to add to your presentation. But there are diminishing returns to your performance and outcome after a certain point of effort/time. Learn to stop much sooner that you normally would. Get comfortable with being good enough and remember that perfectionism is the killer of productivity.
Align responsibilities to your values
Take inventory of all the things you do on a given day/week. What sucks up your time? Then make a list of what is important to you. Do these two lists add up or do you realize you are spending much more time/energy on things that are not so important in the end?