Here’s an email that Seth Godin sent out at the beginning of the year.

I keep it in my inbox and reread it at least once a week.

I’m sharing it with you today in the hope that you will find it as helpful as I did.

Problems and Boundaries

All problems have solutions.

That’s what makes them problems.

The solution might involve trade-offs or expenses that you don’t want to incur. You might choose not to solve the problem. But there is a solution. Perhaps you haven’t found it yet. Perhaps you need to do more research or make some tradeoffs in what you’re hoping for.

If there is no solution, then it’s not a problem.

It’s a regrettable situation. It’s a boundary condition. It’s something you’ll need to live with.

Which might be no fun, but there’s no sense in worrying about it or spending time or money on it, because it’s not a problem.

“I want to go to the wedding, but it’s a thousand miles away.” That’s a problem. You can solve it with a plane ticket and some canceled plans.

“I want to go to the wedding, but I’m not willing to cancel my meeting.” That’s not a problem. That’s an unavoidable conflict. If you need to violate a law of physics to get out of a situation, it’s not a problem. But you’ve already given up turning into a problem, so it doesn’t pay to pretend it’s solvable.

Once we can walk away from unsolvable situations that pretend to be problems, we can focus our energy on the real problems in front of us.

Last week I was stressed, overwhelmed, and fried. Not a condition I find myself in very often – and I knew to solve the problem, I needed to IDENTIFY the root cause. (I knew there was a solution . . . this was not a situation pretending to be a problem!!)

[Tweet “Don’t allow nonessential items to creep into your day.”]

After looking closely (very closely!) at my calendar, I identified that my real problem was that I was allowing A LOT of nonessential items to creep into my day. Good stuff, absolutely – but not great stuff!

My solution:

I need to flex my “NO muscle” a bit more – and hold my boundaries a bit firmer.

So, I pruned my to-do list and calendar this weekend.

I deleted some items.

I declined some invitations.

I delegated some tasks and some appointments.

I deferred a big project until the 3rd quarter.

I created the space I needed in order for me to be my most effective and efficient self.

It wasn’t easy.

I still am feeling a little bit of FOMO in regards to some of the invitations I declined.

Yet, I know the tradeoffs I am choosing to make are the right tradeoffs for my business and my life!

Figuring out what goes on your calendar, what doesn’t, and what to do with the rest, are the types of strategies we work through in the Impact Time Collective.

Wondering if this Mastermind type program is the resource you need to be more effective and efficient? Click to schedule a complimentary Productivity Breakthrough Session and we’ll figure it out!

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