Is Your Life Too Busy? Get A Hat Rack

by MACDADDY 

I’m a man who wears many hats. I’ve got a dad hat, a husband hat, a house-cleaner hat, and a writer hat. Oh yeah, let’s not forget that running hat. That’s the one that keeps me sane and allows me to wear my other hats. I love each and every one of my hats (well, maybe not the house-cleaner hat) because they represent who I am and how I’ve decided to live my life. I’m a lucky man to have so many hats.

But my hats cause me problems too. Sometimes I’m wearing my house-cleaning hat when I’m supposed to be wearing the dad hat. I’ve even tried to wear the writing hat when I was supposed to be wearing the husband hat—it wasn’t pretty. However, most of my problems don’t come when I’m wearing the wrong hat, they come when I’m trying to wear too many hats at once.

You see, I have a multitasking problem. More often than not, I try and get more than one thing done at a time. Doing the dishes while cooking only means one thing—soapy dinner. Because I try and do so many things at once, none of those things are done with 100% effort and the product often leaves me feeling unfulfilled. Sometimes this gets so frustrating that I want to take all of my hats to the cleaners so I don’t have to wear any of them.

I’m going to try and fix this problem with one simple mantra: Be present.

It’s a simple solution to a complex problem:

• Are you a dad who comes home from the office with work on his mind? I challenge you to “be present.” Build that lego tower with your children—and make it the best darn lego tower ever made. The office will still be there when you get back.
• Are you a mom who reads a magazine while the kids play at the park? I challenge you to “be present.” Chase those kids around the park, swing on the monkey bars, and roll in the grass with them like you don’t have another care in the world. The magazine isn’t going anywhere.
• Are you just going through the motions when it comes to your workouts? I challenge you to “be present.” Don’t just press that weight over head. Tighten those glutes and abs, straighten that back and stick out that chest. Press that weight as if your life depended on it.

Whatever it is that you’re supposed to be doing right now, concentrate 100% of your efforts on that task. Leave the rest of your hats on the hat rack. If it’s worth doing, then it’s worth doing as if there’s nothing else in the world that matters. Live in the moment and concentrate on doing your best at that one thing. Be a mom. Be a dad. Be an athlete. Be present. If you only wear one hat, you’re bound to be happier with the outcome.

*note* I wrote this post a while back before I stopped blogging. Not sure why I never posted it, but I really like it. I still struggle with wearing too many hats and it’s something I’ve tried to work on. There’s definitely room for improvement and I’m posting it today mostly as a reminder to keep on working at it!