Last week I spent most of a whole day trying to knock out tasks on my never-ending to-do list. I also spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out why my list is so damn long. The irony is undeniable: I mentor people almost every day and advise them to say NO to unimportant things. Yet, here I am with a list full of items that aren’t necessary but are nevertheless adding stress to my daily life.  

Why? Dear god, why?

Enough, I thought, and opened OmniFocus (which is where I maintain my mother-of-all-lists list—I’d get a serious cramp if I had to write it all by hand). I decided it was time to take a good, hard look at what I’d convinced myself was so essential to my day-to-day existence. 

First I looked at the important roles in my life: 

• Physician
• Wife
• Mom
• Sister
• Daughter
• RadChick leader
• Athlete
• Artist

Then I looked at my goals for those roles. 

Next I looked at my life purpose. Or, as I like to call it, my mission statement. I created one for myself several years ago and I revisit it every month (or more often PRN). If you haven’t made one for yourself, I highly recommend it. 

“To live life to the fullest while helping and inspiring others.

Continue being passionate and creative.”

Then I looked at the tasks. Alllll the tasks. I looked back at my mission statement. The tasks seemed like they were all supporting the greater good. There weren’t even any work-related items I could delete—I’ve been really careful to keep that stuff separate. 

So now what? If there was nothing extraneous on my list, and it was all in service of my mission in life, how could I move forward with this plan to simplify? 

There is only one answer, friends: DELEGATE. I found help for the tasks that I felt were the easiest to share. Cooking, cleaning, and so on. Did I feel guilty and embarrassed at first about hiring someone to make my bed and make dinner for my kids? Well, yes, a little. But here’s the thing: delegating is an essential skill for any manager—any human for that manner. Because we all know by now that we cannot have it all, nor can we do it all. Not all at the same time, anyway. So I got over my guilt and embarrassment and can honestly tell you that not only is my mother-of-all to-do lists much more streamlined these days, I am a much saner woman. 

I’ll report back in several weeks.

Interested in learning more about wellness and happiness?

Learn about setting priorities and why it matters: Death Doesn’t Discriminate