A question I ask myself when I start something is…. can I sustain this? Starting things is so much easier than finishing them, and at the beginning it’s so much work to think critically about what you’re doing. This can apply to all areas of your life, but I’ll focus on how this can affect your work.
You do some work for a client, in my world it would be doing a website. You complete the website, and then you start talking about maintaining that website. Oh, but you don’t have enough time to maintain it. You just had enough time to complete the project, got those add-ons squeaked in there, and phew. You’ll be able to make the deadline in order to move on to the next thing you are committed to. But maintenance… you don’t have time for that. Maybe you can swing it, and you like this client and don’t want to let them down. So you say yes, sure – I can do it.
Before you did the website or take on the project, or do that extra thing – ask yourself one simple question. Can I sustain this? Does this fit into my long term vision for my life? It can be tempting to make spur of the moment decisions that may not match up with where you are going in life, and as a result you won’t be able to sustain what you are trying to do.
So, when you are thinking of doing something new, working extra, eating that extra sugar…. ask yourself. Can I sustain this?
Well said, now when are going to finish cleaning your room?