Shrug

I can no longer travel, can’t meet with strangers, can’t sign books but will sign labels with SASE, can’t write by request, and can’t answer letters. I’ve got to read and concentrate. Why? Beats me.
Annie Dillard

 

Either we set limits or others, including miscellaneous robocallers, set them for us.

Practice: To reclaim your time, discard an activity. Drop a subscription. Quit ironing. Make a topic a no-go zone. Declare yourself too busy to babysit — or clear your schedule so you can devote more time to it.

Advanced practice: Stop explaining the limits you set, even to yourself. “Beats me” is sufficient. As is a shrug.

Related practices: Done, Self-attack, Authentic