Aim higher

Last week, I wrote that the only thing you could do if you didn't have time to do everything you wanted was to "want to do less." But that was a somewhat reductionist point of view, likely in response to an unusually hectic week on my end.

You can prioritize and plan for what matters. You might be able to say no to things that steal your time and that you'd rather not do. You can focus on not wasting time and ensure what you care about happens.

"One of the biggest changes that you could make to get more of what you want is to set higher expectations, even if you don't achieve them," say Margaret A. Neale and Thomas Z. Lys on Getting (More Of) What You Want (2015). "Setting higher expectations will change your behavior, and can lead to better performance."

Aiming for less makes room for quality time with the rest, but we risk doing nothing if we aim too low. On the contrary, aiming higher works.