When Everything Is a Priority, Nothing Is
About the Author: Hannah Breal, PT, DPT is the co-owner of Made 2 Move Physical Therapy in Charleston and Charlotte. She helps athletes and active adults rebuild strength, mobility, and confidence so they can move pain-free for life.
Made 2 Move Physical Therapy – Charleston | Daniel Island | Mount Pleasant | Charlotte
Every year, without fail, I am slapped in the face by the same lesson. You’d think I would learn it by now, yet here we are.
How This Started
I always feel the most overwhelmed and the least fulfilled when I’m trying to do a lot of different things - when my brain is scattered across a bunch of different “priorities”
It’s not usually just the sheer amount of things, it’s when they all require a different type of thinking or energy.
When that happens, it’s hard to focus or make meaningful progress in one area, because I’m trying to make progress in 27 different areas, so I feel….like a sad pinball machine:
Workouts. Nutrition. Run Club. Sleep. Friends. Family. Hiring. Training. Scaling. Building new systems. Patients. Content. Podcast (lollll I’ve fully dropped the ball on this one) Events. Scheduling. Newsletters (like this one!). Operations. New locations. Constant improvement. Travel. Metrics. Meetings. Run a business. lol
== aka I quite literally and figuratively have WAY too many tabs open. My computer is having a hard time processing it all, and SO. AM. I.
Modern Life Makes This Worse
I think modern technology (ahem, social media!!!) has made this harder for our brains. We’re used to constant stimulation, and if we get bored, we just scroll onto the next super stimulating thing. There’s always an app to check. Always something to do. So you feel… like… you…. never… stop.
I talk to patients about this all the time - and it applies whether you’re feeling overwhelmed and scatter brained with your health, work, fitness, business, house, anything in life.
I think this feeling of overwhelm, of “I’m doing so many things yet feel like I’m not doing anything super well” happens when we say yes to too many different things.
The Pattern I See Over and Over
We try to take on a million different projects at once. We think it’s a good idea to build 12 new habits at the same time. Our to do list for one day is 50 things long.
Because we’re motivated! We love stimulation! we can do MORE!!!!
And in the first couple of weeks, you feel great! You’re on top of the world, feeling so capable and competent and excited and like you can do anything.
And then your brain gets tired from trying to do it all and switch tasks all the time.
You start making mistakes, dropping the ball, forgetting things.
You get frustrated when you make minuscule progress week to week.
You choose the easy things to check off just to feel something, but then you make no progress in the areas that actually matter…
Personally - it always leaves me feeling unfulfilled, but also somehow exhausted? like I did so much but also nothing at all.
Promise I’m getting to the point…
A Lesson From Parks and Rec
I’m a huge parks and rec fan and am constantly rewatching it.
And what do you know, last weekend I came across the episode where Ron tells Leslie she needs to stop trying to do it all, because she’s failing. She has to drop something, and Ron tells her to “Never half ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.” and I was like, welp. that hits hard.
The lesson? Making everything a “priority” means that nothing is actually a priority.
When we chase way too many rabbits - we end up catching none
Focus Is a Skill You Have to Fight For
I think we all underestimate the power and impact of FOCUS.
When you focus on something, you get to use all your brain power on it, instead of wasting time and energy switching back and forth.
But focus is a privilege - it’s a skill. It’s something you have to fight for daily.
You have to close other tabs. You have to say NO to other things.
But how do we decide??
How I Decide What Actually Matters
Here’s what helps me:
Whenever I feel this way, I make a list of my current “priorities” - what am I trying to accomplish right now? and then I go through the list, and ask myself these questions:
What is an absolute non-negotiable?
What actually has to get done by a certain time?
What on this list, if not done, will mean that something bad happens?
What on this list, if you accomplish, will help with all the other things on the list?
versus
What have you added to your plate simply because you want to do it, but it would be okay if you didn’t do it this moment?
What’s something that… (this is scary for me)… someone else can help with?
What’s something that you think you need to do, but it actually doesn’t make that big of an impact if you do it? (ugh, hate this one)
Glass Balls and Rubber Balls
As humans, we’re always juggling a bunch of different balls: some of them are glass, and some are rubber.
But sometimes we’re juggling way too many, and we get tired simply from juggling, so we have to choose which one’s we’re okay with dropping right now.
(hint: do not drop the glass ones. they shatter and are hard to put back together)
I personally don’t like having to drop any of them.
But by trying to juggle them all, I’m gonna drop the ones that matter, OR I’m gonna simply beat myself up about not being able to juggle it all until I start hating juggling altogether.
Want to understand your body better, move with confidence, and stay active for life?
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Written by Hannah Breal, PT, DPT, Co-Owner of Made 2 Move Physical Therapy, helping Charleston and Charlotte move pain-free for life.
