Look Out For These 15 Everyday Stop Signs

There is this guy, Matt. He does everything: he cooks, he runs marathons, he is a professional landscape artist, he plays the harp, he does programming, he builds houses, he studies the mysteries of life with his tiny microscope, he teaches kids at a science club, and he participates in local politics — just to name a few of his activities.

Matt has a problem: His life is full of exciting things — but he is not happy.

I admit, Matt is not real. But then again, he’s not that far from our reality anyway, is he?

The Problem

We are interested in many things, and that makes us want to achieve a lot in our lives. These are all things that we enjoy and would love to do.

The world around us is also interested in getting a lot out of us, and wants to make us work long hours. We don’t enjoy all of these things, but they are not all bad either.

But there is this small, ticking problem called time. Every new thing we add to the mix is time away from one of the other things. That’s why we need to find some kind of balance: What is the maximum number of activities we can participate in without sacrificing our happiness? Or more precisely, what is the correct number of things to do to maximize happiness?

I know the answer has something to do with letting go of perfectionism, and accepting the fact that we can’t be the best in everything, as well as trying things out to see if they stick. But I don’t have the answer yet. All I have is a mixed collection of pointers.

Here are 15 of them: The 15 everyday stop signs that tell us to drop an activity and either replace it with something else or divide the time freed from it between our other activities.

How to use the stop signs

Just skim through the signs thinking about all the things you are doing every day — or thinking of doing. If a sign seems to be on your way, stop, take a deep breath, and ask yourself: “Why am I doing [your activity here]?”

If your answer is strong enough to fight the stop sign, keep going. Just like in real life, a stop sign doesn’t mean you have to stay stopped. But you need to stop, because it might be that it’s time to free some time for the things that matter most.

Another thing to remember is that giving up on something isn’t the only option: if the thing that you don’t want to do is important to your big picture, automation and outsourcing are valid options to consider.

And now it’s time for a stop sign collection

If you don’t believe in the war you are in, you need to find a better one.

If you don’t feel good about the strategies you have to apply to reach your goals, you need to change the goal or the strategies.

If you are too busy to eat ice cream, it’s time to take a break.

If you can’t stop postponing the activity, maybe you should drop it from your task list for good?

Sometimes the cost of reaching your goal is just too high.

And in some places, the return on investment will never be good enough.

If the crowd is too loud, you need to refine your message to get it through. Or shout louder.

When you can’t understand the message, there is always someone waiting to lend a hand.

And often the fact that someone else can do it better than you is enough reason for outsourcing.

When you realize that you are doing the same thing over and over again, it’s time to put your brain to work.

If it doesn’t fit in your big picture, find a way to let go.

Your health is too valuable to be sacrificed for work and other interesting projects.

If you are not doing what you are best at, you are not doing what you should be doing.

You have something better to do than watch the stop sign fade to gray.

Never stop doing what you love.

Like most things in life, these signs are not clear cut. In many cases, a stop sign can be there just to tell you to find a better way of doing things rather than to give up on them. And sometimes, after thinking about the stop sign, you’ll feel even more determined to continue on the road you have chosen than ever before.

You just need to stop before you go.

Stop sign image credits: z6p6tist6, ereneta, DShalock, Saynine, hoyasmeg, _mattxb, wamzle, nadbasher, quite peculiar, BikePortland.org, yewenyi, adobemac, yazeed, zen, The Joy of the Mundane, Derek Farr