Hey! I’m actually having fun working on my 2023 Resolution, and I hope you folks are enjoying reading about my attempts to keep my resolution to start blogging regularly after a long hiatus.
For me, it’s interesting to observe how new ideas emerge from old ones. Maybe for the first time ever as a writer, I feel like I’m putting significant thought into how that process occurs. It seems clear that as I publish more posts in this series I become more aware of how ideas emerge and enter into my writing process. That’s fascinating to see and nice to acknowledge. More so, I’m sticking to my commitment to blog more regularly fairly well, and I’m glad about that. So, all in all, this exercise has been a largely positive experience for me.
But now I’m going to go negative.
To tie in with those five ways of dealing with inertia that I wrote about in my last post, I now want to focus on one specific strategy that I think can help in the fight against inertia.
That specific strategy is learning how to say no as a deliberate act against inertia.
Learning to say “no” to commitments or tasks that drain my energy and don’t align with my priorities helps me overcome inertia. Saying “no” to less important things allows me to create more space for the things that matter most and, thus, increase my motivation and drive to take action. Additionally, saying “no” to non-essential tasks or commitments can reduce any feelings of being overwhelmed to help create a sense of balance.
When I’m bogged down by too many obligations and commitments, it’s hard to find the time and energy to focus. I often have struggled with taking on too much and feeling like I need to be constantly busy. I’m starting to realise that this approach is unsustainable and leads to burnout. That’s why I’m making a conscious effort to say “no” more often to the things that just don’t ‘do it’ for me.
I aim to be mindful of what commitments to take on and to be more intentional about where to focus my energy and spend my time. When I get it right, mindfulness keeps the motivation at a high level, even when I’m stuck or unmotivated.
Of course, saying “no” isn’t always easy. But practice makes perfect. And the benefits are clear: by creating more space for the things that matter, I’m able to stay focused on achieving my goals.
