Am I Overdoing It?

Those of you that know me, know that I always have something going on. Whether I'm studying for school, taking the kids somewhere, doing something for my business, or working around the house. I am always busy. And I have had several people, friends, family, clients, tell me that I need to slow down and take it easy or else I'll burn myself out.

They are not wrong. Being too busy and overworking can lead to burnout. Even when it is something that you love. But how can you tell if you are on the verge of burnout or just enjoying a busy life? Everyone has their own way of deciding what is worth their time and energy. Personally, I like to use the Ducks and Spoons method to decide if I have the energy for something.

Some of you have probably heard of the Spoon Theory. For those of you that have not, here are the basics. Imagine you are in your kitchen and have a drawer full of different kinds of spoons. Some people have a lot of spoons, some people only have a few spoons. Some people have really nice metal spoons, and some people only have cheap plastic spoons. You might have some big spoons that you can use for cooking, or you might only have small dessert spoons, or maybe you have all different kinds of spoons. But no matter how many or what kinds of spoons you have, those are all the spoons you have to use until you are able to wash them.

Now, think of each spoon as the amount of energy it takes to complete a task. For something really easy, like eating a bowl of cereal, you can use any spoon you have, even the cheap plastic ones. But if you have a really hard task, like making a big pot of soup, a small, cheap plastic spoon isn't going to work. The same goes for your energy levels. If all you have to do is get up and eat, as long as you have a little energy (a small plastic spoon), you can do it. But if you have a big task, like cleaning the house or doing a big presentation, you're going to need a lot more energy (a big sturdy cooking spoon). Your self-care is how you wash your spoons to be able to use them again. Eating right, resting, and doing things that recharge you is how you get back the spoons you have already used and can even help you get more spoons.

Now for the Ducks. Most of you, especially those of you that know me, probably already know where this one is going. If you have a duck, you care about it. If you don't have a duck, you don't care about it. You might have a tiny, little duck, that you only care about a little. Or you could have a really big duck that you care about a lot. Either way, the ducks are how much you care about something.

Now to put the two together. If you have no ducks and no spoons, nothing is going to get done. You have no energy and you do not care. If you have spoons and no ducks, things might get done, or they might not. You have the energy to do stuff, but you don't really care if it gets done or not. If you have ducks and no spoons, chances are good that you are having an anxiety attack about what you think you should be doing but you don't have the energy to actually do it. If you have both spoons and ducks, you are getting everything done. You care about it and you have the energy to do it.

So, when people tell you that they think you are doing too much, take a minute to see how many ducks and spoons you have. Most of the time, people say that from a place of love and concern. They want to make sure that you are taking care of yourself. But just because one person thinks that a task is too difficult for them, doesn't mean that it is too much for you to handle. Keep an eye on your spoons and ducks. Make sure to wash your spoons regularly and pay attention to the big ducks in your life. As long as you do that, you should be fine and won't have to worry about overdoing it!