Do you know anyone who prides themselves on their ability to stuff twenty pounds into a five pound bag?  They think they can get more done and do it better than anyone else.  They pack their schedule and to-do list full, scrambling from one appointment to the next, from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to bed.  Their mantra of “That is what you have to do to be successful. Never waist time and always pack your schedule” is misdirected.

I hate to say it, but I often find myself doing the same thing.  However, I’ve learned when you pack your schedule with no room to breath, you have to be VERY careful.  I say this because you know what happens when you stuff twenty pounds into a five pound bag?  It bursts open. Its contents spill out all over the floor. What I’ve found, more often than not, the person doing the stuffing doesn’t take the time to clean up the mess. They leave it for someone else to deal with.  This leads to the ‘stuffer’ experiencing poor communication, lack of planning, anger and frustration, lack of respect for the others, anxiety, and impatience.

This overflow ultimately ends up affecting the most important people their lives. Sadly, it isn’t realized until it is too late and life comes crashing down.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not your ticket to sit down and be lazy.  It’s important to be efficient and get things done. And it’s also important to continue to keep focused on your goals taking actions everyday so you can attain those goals. Don’t forget there is a big difference between quantity and quality. Too often people confuse being “busy” with being “efficient”.  Everyday I see people who appear to be working hard, 8-12 hours a day.  But when you examine their routine, their processes, their focus, you will notice they are really only productive for a small portion of that time. The balance of their day is spent on unimportant activities, and socializing allowing extra work to fill their time. They end up feeling busy when they really aren’t. These activities do not bring them closer to the goals they want to achieve.

In essence cutting out all their “busy” work, would shorten their day significantly. Wouldn’t that be great to work less hours and actually produce more?

Once efficiency is achieved my suggestion would be to spend your new found time cleaning up the overflow in your life, giving the necessary time to help grow your relationships with the friends, family and colleagues around you. Attending to the extra fifteen pounds inside your five-pound bag will train you to one day stay within your five pound limit and stop you from a lifetime of creating spillover.

Cleaning up will give you more time to work on your communication with your family, friends and coworkers. Your patience will increase because you will have more time on your hands. Irritability will vanish.  When you achieve balance life is happy, positive, and efficient. Consequently you get much more “accomplished”.  Notice I said you get more “accomplished,” I did not say you get more “done,” that’s because there is a difference.

So this week make a change – stuff ten, instead of twenty pounds in that five pound bag and spend the rest of the time cleaning up your mess and all the while making sure your bag does not rip.

Make it a GREAT week!!!!!