Things are getting hectic around the Valoria-Rao household.  Not only are we getting ready for a big vacation, we are still living in a construction zone due to last month’s leak issue (as we wait on our upstairs neighbour for the repairs), Jett’s busy flipping a condo with Acclaimed Properties, I’m trying to get all my year-end tasks done for work, we’re attending a bunch of Christmas events, I haven’t even started Christmas shopping … and the list goes on and on!

So I wanted to quickly blog about simplifying your life.  As a self-proclaimed overachiever, this is particularly difficult for me to do because I want to do everything!  I always have.  It’s just who I am.  But I’ve recently discovered my love for 8 hours of sleep at night, so doing everything is downright impossible.

This is why you are currently reading this blog instead of watching a vlog.  For the next few posts I will be blogging instead of vlogging because vlogging takes so much more time – the writing, the filming (the getting all dolled up for the filming), the editing and the posting – as opposed to simply blogging.  I am hoping this is temporary as I do love to vlog, but this is a necessary change I need to make in my life at the moment to focus on the more immediate priorities.

This is not the first time I’ve cut an activity out of my life to pay attention to the important ones.  For example, this past summer I sadly sold my motorcycle.  Fortunately it’s still in the family in the caring hands of my sister’s boyfriend.  Nonetheless, I dreamt of joining Jett on the track one day as I expertly leaned on corners and sped through the straights.

But alas, you only have so much time in a day and I’d rather hangout with friends and family or even get some chores done instead of riding. So I made the difficult decision to sell my bike instead of calling myself a “motorcycle rider”.  That was one less thing for me to worry about doing on the weekends, so ultimately I felt relieved.

I challenge my fellow overachieving millennials out there to try to simplify your life.  “Baby steps” is key.  Start by cutting one thing unnecessary out of your life … it could be an extra hobby that you may be wasting your time on.  Or it could be an activity that really isn’t enhancing your life at all.  It could be a temporary hiatus while you focus on higher priorities for a bit.  And if you really are miserable and feel like something huge is missing in your life, then simply get back on the horse and try cutting out something else.

We DON’T need to do everything and you WILL feel better, smarter and wittier once you start getting more sleep at night.  Cutting something out of your life doesn’t relinquish your title of “overachiever” – it simply allows you to overachieve in parts of your life that truly matter to you.

If you have any tips or advice on how you simplify your life, please share!  Until next time.

❤ Isabel