The idiom of most productivity people, and honestly it's a bunch of nonsense.

Okay... it's not complete nonsense, it's just inaccurate to the reality of most (if not all of us).

Because... although I could "commit to less"... that would mean a number of things:

1. I'd quit my business
2. I'd not have kids (because either they'd be taken away... or well... worse).
3. I'd never have any form of a social life or any hobbies

Now some of these could be options for you!

1. You could quit your business, and that's totally fine, but I love what I do...so I don't want to.
2. You could choose not to have kids, and that's totally fine, but I've got two kids and I love the dearly.
3. You could choose to not have a social life or hobbies, but I did that before, and OMG did that suck.

So... I'm now "overcommitted"... and I'm choosing to be "overcommitted"?

My "goals"... mean I'm overcommitted!

So what now...

This is where I'd get a shitty response saying I'm not "committed enough" and I'm "making excuses".

Uh no... this is the reality of my life.

I've got responsibilties to myself, my family and my clients.

Clients = Business

Family = Kids/Family

Myself = My Hobbies

All three of these... CAN work together.

All three of these... DO work together.

Is it always perfect, nope...

But do I continue to do all three... yup.

I run 4 DnD Campaigns three in person, one online.

I have two children who I look after with my partner (who works full time).

I have a business, with clients who need my help, and just recently started increasing my role in managing a YouTube Channel.

Each of the above... could be a full time job.

So how do I do it?

So glad you asked, Reader!

I focus on what I need to do now, and next.

What I do now → Gives Me New Info → Tells Me What To Do Next

Then this cycle repeats, and I can do this for all the moving pieces of my business/life. I'm not focused on being "organised". I'm actively moving towards a behaviour, whether it's to finish something, or to spend time with my kids, or to prep for tonights DnD session, or to schedule an email, because I'm about to relaunch my 1:1 coaching.

It's simple, but it's not being "organised". It's organising, because like most things... it's a process, it's continuous.

Because no matter how much I'd like to just think linearly:

I do X, then I do Y, then I do Z.

It's more of a jumble of:

I am doing X, whilst also preparing for Y, then I'm also considering Z.

All at the same time... I never really focus on one thing at a time, because... well I always have multiple things happening... which can be overwhelming, so if I feel that... woah there's a lot going on here.

I jot "all the things down", put it somewhere where I can see it...

Then I go.

What's now.

What's next.

If after completing a Now, I notice a thing on a next that would like directly with that... I follow that thread.

If not... I continue my now's.

My focus is on completing the task.

It's not on being organised.

Or getting LOTS done.

It's working on finishing what I need to do now, and then what's next.

It sounds annoyingly simple doesn't it?

It also sounds impossible... how can you focus on ONE thing at a time.

I don't.

I have a now and next for all the things...

I have a now & next for each of my DnD Campaigns. (there's 4 of em.)

I have a now and next for my coaching clients, for my content, for each element of my business.

I have a now and next for my family, for friends.

How do I decide:

I ask... what could I do now?

I look at what's around me, do I have my laptop or my phone.
I look at how I'm feeling, do I wanna be doing XYZ, or ABC.
I look at my energy levels; am I exhausted, do I have any capacity for these things.
I look at the time, what my family needs of me, and a host of other things at once...

All of these and more, influence what I do now, vs what I do next.

Put another way... Instead of trying to navigate my day based on assumptions or crystal ball predictions—akin to guessing the plot of a movie based on its poster—I focus on the immediate reality in front of me.

This shift is about moving from a 'guesswork' approach, which often complicates decision-making with layers of what-ifs, to an approach that is engaging directly with what's happening around me.

This way, I make decisions based on the tangible and the now, much like choosing a path based on what you can actually see rather than a map filled with hypothetical routes.

This approach isn't complicated... but it works for a complicated life, when I'm working on "too many things" at once, I know that each one has a small list of now and nexts! It's the ultimate in working with adaptability, and flexibility and chances are... you've done these things too!

Wanna Try it Out With Me?

Grab a blank google or notion doc and dump EVERYTHING you've gotta do today, home life, business... (or do it for tomorrow if you're in the UK and it's nearing the end of the day!) Then for each item in there, create two columns with "Now" and "Next" (if you also want that sweet dopamine hit, add a "Done" column too.) From there based on what you wanna achieve today, Copy and paste to Next! If something comes, and disrupts your day, check in with yourself on whether things need to be moved to TOMORROW vs TODAY.

I measure NOW as today, and tomorrow (max), Next as the things you'll do AFTER tomorrow.

• Prioritise Flexibly: What needs your attention now and next? This question guides my day.
• Integration Over Separation: Business, family, and personal life aren't siloed; they're parts of a whole.
• Adaptability is Key: Plans change based on immediate context—what I have, how I feel, and what's happening around you.
• Continuous Process: It's not about being perfectly organised but about self-organising!
• Embrace the Chaos: Acknowledging that life is a complex web of concurrent tasks allows for more fluid and stress-free navigation.