This post is for my fellow overachievers – those of you that attempt to master every aspect of your day and your life, and feel unsuccessful if any element is not A+. Yep, I’m talking to you.

I have a new mantra for you: Let yourself off the hook.

I know very well that when you hold yourself to impossibly high standards, letting yourself off the hook is a hugely challenging ask. And I also know how good it feels when you get in the habit of doing it.

I’m not talking about the big things like your job and your health. For those, no, don’t let yourself off the hook. Make those aspects of life as enjoyable as you can, and do them as well as feels good for you. There might be other categories of life in which you want to make sure you’re cutting any corners. Know what those are, and let those be the priority. And for everything else, chillllll.

Here’s how it happened for me.

So I would procrastinate and the empty coconut oil or salsa jar would sit on my counter waiting to be groomed for its new role in life. And I would see it sitting there and feel guilty for not getting to it and that it was adding clutter to my kitchen counter.

Then one day, I looked at the jar and said, “let yourself off the hook.” (I was talking to myself, not the jar). I picked it up and put it in the recycling bin.

Dang that felt good!

So I started saying it for lots of little things that were cluttering up my mental space and my ability to just sit back and relax once in a while. The mantra let yourself off the hook became empowering! It empowered me to focus on my priorities, and let the rest go. What a relief!

What are your priorities for your time and energy? What are the glass jars in your life that you can let go?