There were several talks in conference that spoke about the need to simplify your life. They emphasized the importance of choosing the best out of the good and better things in your life. This is an area in which I personally know I need a lot of improvement. I often try to do too much and overextend myself in so many ways. Following is a list of reasons that you may be keeping the good in your life instead of making room for the best.
1) You may be afraid of letting someone down. There may be a commitment that you have made that you do to help others or to support a friendship that you have. While this is a good thing, if the time commitment conflicts with other things that are more important (family time, time to study the gospel, or you are just overwhelmed). It can be difficult to say that you need to cut back. You may find a way to change the commitment to work better for you. You can cut back the hours involved or find another way to help your friend that works better in your schedule or takes less time.
2) You feel like you are not providing enough for your children. This could be extracurricular activities, or it could be material items. You may worry if you cut back your work activities, that you will not be able to meet your child’s needs. If you are considering cutting back on extracurricular activities, you may be worried that your child will not have the opportunities that they need.
3) You may be having a hard time deciding the areas that you should cut back in. They may seem equally good to you. This should be a matter of prayer. You should make your decision and pray about it. It may be that it does not matter what area you cut back on, as long as you cut back. Or you may find that there is a specific area that you should cut back on. Once you know you should move forward with the decision.
It is important to realize that the too many activities, too much pressure and too little time affect more people than just you. As a parent you make the decisions for your family. Your overall sense of happiness and well being spill over into your family life.
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