Have you ever felt like the person riding a unicycle…while balancing a stack of plates on top of your head…while also juggling a set bowling pins…and then someone tries to toss you a basket of eggs? No? Just me???
Maybe you’ve noticed (…or maybe you haven’t) but after six months of Weekend Pivot Points going out consistently every Friday, it abruptly went on a nearly two-month hiatus. Why? I was the guy on the unicycle trying to do everything at once.
Sometimes my appetite can be bigger than my stomach. So, after taking a step back and seeing how ridiculous my balancing act looked, I hit “Pause” on some non-essential parts of work and life…hence, the weekly email absence.
Here’s what I learned from the experience:
- everyone has a capacity to their To-Do List
- it’s easy to overestimate the efficiency with which you can juggle the tasks on the list
- a one-in, one-out policy for items that can be controlled is a helpful rule to prevent over-capacity
- schedule time monthly to take a step back, self-reflect, and adjust before capacity is reached
- not all items on the To-Do List carry equal weight and significance
- prioritizing tasks by urgency and importance can be helpful in deciding what needs to be juggled and what doesn’t (s/o to @jeremywalter for this tip…even though it took me over half a year to implement)
- keep one hand free in case life decides to unexpectedly toss you a basket of eggs
Starting next week, the weekly email will refocus to start highlighting specific money and finance-related topics (and the occasional self-deprecating life lesson learned by yours truly). With Employer Benefit Open Enrollment season just around the corner for many, I’ll be highlighting several common employer benefits in an effort to make the open enrollment process a little bit less stressful.
With that, here are the stories that caught my eye this week:
MONEY: The cost of childcare is driving Americans away from parenthood (QZ.com)
While I think the article’s title is a bit extreme, I do think the underlying issue that it highlights is a valid concern for most young families. The cost of childcare (avg. $6,105/year/child under 4 in KY) has become an increasingly important consideration and planning point when deciding to start or grow a family. Utilizing planning tools, like a Dependent Care FSA, can be a great way to help offset some of this burden.
LIFE: Hope Deferred Makes the Heart Sick (Forbes)
“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (10th Century B.C. Solomonic Proverb).” Is saving for retirement important? Yes. Is saving for retirement at the expense of the memories gained from a long-desired family road trip out West or trip to Europe before the kids have left the nest? No. Only when our “longings” are first identified and prioritized can we find the balance between the delayed gratification of planning for the future and the enjoyment of fulfilling our deep-seeded longings.