When I was building my business, I thought I should keep pushing my limits. I worked without end and treated the ability to take on more as a sign of strength. Health problems began to show up, and my family was living with the cost, but I still found reasons to continue.
Eventually, I had to ask why I was carrying all of it. Some of the work deserved the effort. Some of it remained on the list because I had said yes before and had stopped questioning that decision.
If I had ten things to do, I began choosing six. The number was a personal choice, not a rule for anyone else. I looked for work I cared about and work that could make a difference. I also made more room to learn, test what worked and spend time with people I loved.
That gave me a different experience of ambition. I felt more energy and could think more clearly about the work I had kept. I was still building, but I was no longer using exhaustion as the main evidence that I took it seriously.
There are periods when responsibilities require a great deal from us. A business has customers and people depending on it, and a difficult week cannot always be shortened. The concern is what happens when the exceptional week becomes the explanation for every week.
Review one responsibility you keep carrying because you once agreed to it. Does the original reason still hold? If you changed that commitment, consider who would be affected and what would need to be agreed, rather than adding another promise to an already full list.