**This post was originally sent via ConvertKit on September 30th, 2021**
Welcome to this issue of The Pause, my friend.
As we head into the final quarter of the year, I thought it would be nice for us to take a few moments to reset and focus on reprioritizing joy in our lives.
Take a moment to get comfortable and get ready to pause in 3…2…1…
🎊 Reprioritizing Joy
I told myself earlier this year that I was going to start a new tradition after each book I read where I would type up all my favorite quotes and learnings from that book so I could quickly reference them later.
Why would I need to quickly reference them later? Not entirely sure. But, my mind convinced me that this was an important endeavor, and so out I went reading and writing synopses.
A few months into this project, I realized that I hadn't actually read recently...in fact, it had been over a month and a half since I last sat down and opened a book.
What happened?
I stopped reading because I got behind on writing the synopses and I didn't want to put more work on my to-do list without catching up on the synopses first.
Bizarre, right?
Without intending to, I had morphed reading into a task on my to-do list -- the feeling of being productive a priority over the simple joy of reading just to read. Reading was now a checkmark to check. An item to cross off the list. A task to be completed and added to my accomplishments at the end of the day.
This isn't the first time I've deprioritized something that brings me joy for something that makes me feel productive.
Sometimes I swap a workout class for an hour of answering emails. Sometimes I skip a night of reading to finish the last 3 episodes of a show I don't even really like. Sometimes I make up self-assigned projects to help me feel productive instead of just allowing myself to do something that makes me feel joy for the sake of feeling joy.
Whatever the flavor, I've come to realize that if I don't keep an eye on it, productivity just kind of sneaks its way in and elbows joy out of the way.
Maybe you feel the same thing happens to you sometimes, too. Perhaps yours looks a little different than mine, but the feeling of productivity over joy is the same.
The good news is experience has taught me that reprioritizing joy mostly takes subtle shifts. Like, oh I don’t know, letting go of self-inflicted synopses to begin loving reading again.
So today, take a moment a look at your joy. Are you prioritizing it? Are you putting it off? Do you want to give yourself more joy? And if so...what can you do to reprioritize joy again?
⏸ Pause & Reconnect
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers — just what’s true for you.
What brings you joy?
How often are you prioritizing these things?
Would you like to make any changes? Reprioritize anything?
For a little more: Write down 7 things that bring you joy. For the next week, prioritize one of those things per day.