When we step into a larger space in our lives - through promotion, a life transition, a new direction - it often brings a lot more stuff with it.

More responsibilities, more scope, more things to manage and fit in, more people or meetings or learning or challenge.

So how do we make it all fit?

Many of us fall into the easy trap of simply trying to squash it in.

We add more to what we are already doing - spinning more plates and keeping more balls in the air.

We juggle - trying to give all the new things the same amount of time and energy as the existing things - and hope it will all settle down.

And sometimes it does…

…but most often we end up spread too thin. It’s frustrating and exhausting. We don’t make progress on the things that matter most, plus our capacity for anything that shows up on top is low.

So, what if you didn’t need to?

What if not everything needs the same amount of your time, energy and attention?

Instead of peanut buttering it, what if it would actually be more effective not to?

You can take a step back and ask yourself:

Who or what needs the most focus right now? More of your time and energy than usual?
Who or what needs the same amount of focus? To keep momentum and stay steady?
Who or what could manage with less focus right now? What could you dial back or put on pause? Is there anything you could automate, delegate, eliminate?

Not forever, but to get you through the season or stage or phase you’re in now while you adjust and rebalance?

To buy yourself some time to figure out where you are and find your feet?

To set yourself up for success in the longer term.

Are you peanut buttering your time?

Does everything and everyone need the same even layer?

Or could you redistribute it to meet the situation you’re in right now, and put it where it’s needed most?

Wishing you all a week of strategic application to the bits that need it most,