Strategies and Tactics for Women by Dr. Shannon Reece

Last week I read a great post from Scott Ginsberg called, How to Keep Backbone Engaged.  It seems profoundly simple to just say “no,” and yet many women find that to be one of the most difficult words to say, even when it needs to be said.

Why?!

As I shared in the comments section, “I think, too often, women feel the need to take care of the world and through their choices, wind up at the bottom of their list of highest priorities.  When you choose to put yourself in that position, it’s very easy to just sacrifice yourself right off the list.”

It might be frightening for you to stop and think about how many times a month you actually do that, with the belief that just one more thing won’t make a difference. But one more thing always does.

Scott offers some really great solutions in his post, that women can use to be confident and courageous enough to put a stake in the ground. One of my favorites is “televising your priorities.” People aren’t mind readers, so if you don’t make your priorities clear to those around you, they will have no idea when they are crossing the line.

The biggest part of achieving balance and fulfillment in your business and life is to focus on the activities that fall under your highest priorities — which should always include taking plenty of time for yourself to refresh and recharge. Once your highest priorities have been scheduled, and you have extra room for non-essentials or requests from others, still choose wisely.

It’s detrimental to your health, mental and emotional well-being, and business bottom line if you persist in spreading yourself too thin. You can’t possibly do everything, any more than you can make everyone happy — so stop beating yourself up trying!

As Scott so clearly explains, “Your time isn’t just valuable — it’s billable.” So regain control of your schedule, and get much more out of your time by focusing on the things that are most important to your happiness. Self-care is not about being selfish — it’s about being at your best for all the people in your life you wish to serve.