Getting My Ducks in a Row (Literally and Figuratively)

For a split second my ducks were literally in a row. So naturally I took a photo as fast as I could.

But apart from my lovely little duckies who, along with 13 chickens, two dogs and one horse, have consumed my spare time, I’ve been working on deliberately and intentionally putting things back in order.

Over the past three years, I had immersed myself in a circus of side work on top of my day job. This provided incredible experiences and opened tons of new doors for me, but my intention was to be able to quit the day job and work from home.

Instead, I found my dream job that allowed me to work from home with an incredible team that inspires me each and every day. I started in April and cannot believe how much my life has changed. Buffer focuses on self-improvement and fostering an environment of constant learning and positivity. This has bled over to every other inch of my life.

I’m reading the book Essentialism and coming to terms with the fact that I’ve spread myself too thin to do a good job in any one area of my life. My focus now is on doing less, but better. While I have always been a busy body, my inability to say no created a compounding list a mile long of obligations that take me away from my family and other priorities. By agreeing to one little thing here and there, I sacrifice spending time with something or someone more meaningful.

I’m dedicating several actions each week to making this happen:

• I am taking at least one bag to donate at the local charity store each week. Less physical clutter = less mental clutter.
• I’m defaulting to “no” or “let me get back to you” for any requests on my time outside of work and family. That way, I can evaluate whether or not it is worth pursing and possibly giving up something more important.
• I’m wrapping up the last of my freelancing projects, leaving way for the few clients I have (and will of course be taking care of) and the other small roles I feel strongly about maintaining.

Thus, I’m getting my figurative ducks in a row and cutting out the clutter of life to make room for what truly matters: my family, the job I love, the animals I adore, the writing I yearn to do.

I’d love to hear from you: What areas of your life are you working on these days?