# Trying to Do It All By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-09-19 How many of you are tired? Exhaustion seems to be the norm these days. It seems that for many, [[life]] itself has become fatiguing. Perhaps part of this comes from an attempt to try to do it all. Across the “work-life balance” spectrum, trying to do it all could be a continuous attempt to excel in one’s professional and personal [[relationships]] and obligations. Even at work alone, one might attempt to do it all by attempting to please every superior and oneself. Understanding this dynamic better could provide a basis for avoiding the exhaustion of modernity. Attempting to do it all has some advantages. These shouldn’t be rejected simply because one ultimately becomes tired as a consequence. Doing a significant quantity of [[quality]] work can be beneficial to one’s career and compensation. Achievements at work can be rewarding emotionally and economically. There are clear external incentives for this behavior. Further, when one attempts to do it all, one is busy. Busy people seldom have time to think. There are potentially dark aspects of one’s situation that one is subconsciously trying to avoid thinking about. Trying to do it all occupies one’s thoughts while one is engaged and makes one too exhausted to think as the work is done. Before going deeper into this one should try to determine if the exhaustion is desired consciously or subconsciously. If one determines that there were subconscious motivations that one wants to overcome, or that the conscious motivations no longer have the same power, one might be ready to attempt to stop trying to do it all. One approach to this is [[Quiet quitting as a silent protest movement|quiet quitting]]. More fundamentally, one must determine the [[priorities]] for one’s engagement. Determining when and where to place effort can be challenging. Many will attempt to persuade you to place more effort on whatever is important (or beneficial) to them. Since humans generally like to please people, it can be awkward to decline those requests. Moving from doing it all to doing what is important to doing what is fulfilling is a journey. It is a path that likely has guideposts along the way. One set of signs is simply the arc of life. People have different levels of [[energy]] and interest at different points in one’s life. The inclination and ability to even try to do it all might be something that can be done in youth and simply isn’t sustainable at later stages. Other signs might be economic. When one holds junior positions and there are many places for advancement, doing it all (well) might increase the [[probability]] to make more [[money]] and gain more prestige. Once these are achieved, to a sufficient degree, their motivational power is reduced. Lastly, signs could be existential. One could simply determine that one wants to live one’s life authentically and is no longer interested in seeking validation externally. As one works, accomplishes things, learns, and reflects the [[value]] of doing it all changes. In the process one might come to define and understand the unique things one can do that are fulfilling and beneficial to oneself, the organization, and the world. #### Related Items [[Existential]] [[Quiet Quitting]] [[Authenticity]] [[Work]] [[Exhaustion]]