Prioritizing when we’re overwhelmed with the too-muchness of what needs to be done is often harder than plodding ahead, simply trying to keep up with it all. But our relentless tasks keep coming, and often we feel as though we’re getting farther and farther behind. The swamp of to-dos and shoulds and musts gets bigger and bigger, because there’s never time to tackle the main project, which is to drain the swamp itself. Instead of fending off tasks as they keep attacking, try asking: “Is it vital?” Is this task, right now, vital to our wellbeing, or the wellbeing of other people, or the community or our work? Sometimes it is — maybe we’ll lose our job if we don’t meet a deadline or someone will get hurt if we don’t rally to put out a fire. These things are vital. And I’m not just talking about life and death in the physical sense. Creative endeavors or paying attention to an important relationship may be vital. For instance, when I prioritize, I always put my writing in my ‘vital’ folder. Throughout my life, nothing has interfered with it — not family, friends, or job, much less dirty dishes or laundry. I knew if I didn’t write, something would die inside me. Playing with my children when they were younger was also vital—much more vital than making sure they were in bed at the right time. More recently, stillness has become vital. Think about other things that are vital to you and commit to those. You’ll find your feelings of overwhelm and exhaustion begin to dissolve. All your tasks become smaller and more manageable.
