Here's a cringey little bit of history I don't talk about often.
My love of time management was originally fueled by my desperate need for validation.
I NEEDED people to think I was good enough and had something to offer so I could feel good about myself.
I chased validation through WHAT I could do, not who I was.
I only let myself feel good/safe/proud IF someone else acknowledged me and my source of validation was my career/work.
{Well, I also let this one bleed into my relationships, but we'll save that story for later…lol.}
So when someone applauded me for going above and beyond, it felt amazing. One compliment could totally make my weekend.
But when they didn't applaud (or even notice), it felt awful, and would wreck my weekend.
And naturally, the more I overworked and went above and beyond, the more people grew to expect it of me.
And because people have human brains, they stopped thanking me, or even noticing.
It just became business as usual.
What happened when people stopped acknowledging all of my hard work?
Did I decide to clean it up internally and find my own sense of worth?
Absolutely not, lol.
I doubled down.
Started working weekends.
And evenings.
The more I did, the more they expected.
And the cycle continued.
I eventually ran out of hours so I had to learn how to accomplish more in those hours.
And I did.
I bought courses, every book on the planet, I created my own systems, and planners (yes, I created my own printed planner but it weighed about 10 pounds so I couldn't really use it, Lol).
All taught me how to level up my get-shit-done-ness in one way or another, but none taught me to question my WHY.
None of the books had a chapter title "Why you are so desperate to squeeze every possible ounce of productivity out of every minute?"
Nope.
They did not.
And I never even thought to ask that question on my own.
I genuinely believed that overworking was a good thing.
So, my hyper-focused drive to get all of my validation through accomplishments helped me create the simplest and most powerful process for getting shit done.
But I couldn't out action a lack of worth and it took me YEARS to finally learn this lesson.
So, I learned how to do this in a way that SERVED me.
I learned how to stop chasing validation through work.
I know how to accomplish a LOT in a super short amount of time.
Using the simplest system on the planet that I created.
But my WHY has changed.
I'm not chasing validation anymore.
I'm chasing a life well-lived.
I'm focused on accomplishing the stuff that matters most, in the shortest amount of time, so I can have fun.
So I can blow my own mind.
So I can leave space for exploration.
So I can schedule "do whatever the hell I feel like doing" time.
So I can have fewer regrets at the end of this one short life I get.
I gave up years of weekends and evenings chasing validation, but it wasn't for nothing.
It was miserable, and it helped me create a freaking powerhouse system that I now use to create a life I love.
Week after week.
Month after month.
And I get to teach it to other people for a living.
How effing fun is that?
If you'd like to learn my system you can join my new on-demand program for $297 (limited to the first 20, full details HERE, use coupon TMPBETA for discount).
And if you're not interested in learning the system right now, but you're an "over-worker" like I used to be, hit pause for a minute and ask yourself why.
Take that answer and ask yourself why again.
Keep doing that until you get to the root of it, the answer might surprise you.
I’m here to help if you need it.
Machele Galloway
Certified Life Coach
Email: macheleg@lifeleapcoaching.com