Being Good at Something Doesn't Mean You Should Keep Doing It

I learned something about myself on vacation last week that I didn't expect.

I am the travel planner in our family - I research where we're going and I compare the hotels, I read the reviews, I figure out the flights, rooms, activities and all the little details.

My husband, Curtis and I joke that I basically tell him where we're going and when, and he just shows up.

And I'm good at it.

I've traveled enough that I know what to look for, what questions to ask and how to find a good deal. I've never really seen a reason to use a travel agent.

Then on vacation last week, we made an investment that came with access to a travel and service concierge. As the sales guy explained everything the concierge could do for me, my first thought was pretty much... thanks but I don't know if I'd actually use that. I already know how to do all of this.

Then he asked me a question. “How much time did it take you to plan this trip?”

Well… if I was honest, a lot.

There were nights I'd sit on my computer for four hours researching properties, comparing prices and reading reviews.

His point was simple. I could have told the concierge what I wanted, let them do the research and narrow the options, then made the final decision myself.

I wouldn't be giving up the part that needed my judgment, instead I'd be giving up all the work required to get me to the decision.

That got my attention.

I realized I'd never considered handing travel planning off for one very simple reason:

I did it because I knew how.

How many things in our lives do we keep doing for exactly that reason?

We're good at them. We know how to get them done. Sometimes it seems faster to just do the thing than explain it, delegate it or figure out another way.

So it stays on our plate.

Then I came home from my vacation.

My kids are getting ready to go back to school, the kids need stuff, the house needs groceries, and I was looking at what felt like a ridiculous number of shopping trips.

Normally, I would have sat down and just figured all of it out myself on a piece of paper.

Instead, I thought about the concierge.

Why am I doing this myself?

So I gave the problem to ChatGPT.

About 20 minutes later, I had my shopping trips planned, lists organized, prices compared and a strategy for which stores to skip entirely. One of those decisions alone was going to save me about $35.

I had basically created a personal shopping concierge that I can repeat whenever I want to and I surprised myself with how much I liked it.

Especially the relief of not having to do all the work required to get to the result.

That's one part of AI I think we're still underestimating.

We're spending a lot of time asking what AI can do.

I'm becoming much more interested in asking:

What am I still doing that I don't actually need to be doing anymore?

There is work that genuinely needs our judgment, creativity, relationships or experience and there is work we genuinely enjoy doing.

And then there's all the stuff we keep doing because we've always done it, we know how, or we've never stopped long enough to consider another way.

That third category is where I'm starting to look at a lot more.

ONE THING THIS WEEK

Look at something on your list this week that you normally wouldn't think twice about doing yourself.

Ask one question: Does this actually need me, or am I doing it because I know how?

You don't have to hand it off right away but notice your answer.

ONE THING I'M LOVING 🩵

Apparently, my answer this week is a concierge.

More specifically, I'm loving the idea of having help with the work before the decision. Researching, comparing, organizing and narrowing down options can eat up hours without us realizing how much mental energy we're spending.

Whether that help comes from a person or AI, I'm starting to see the value of keeping my judgment while giving away more of the legwork across both work and personal life.

For the first time in my adult life, I'm looking differently at some of the things that have always lived on my mental list of “things I hate doing but somebody has to do them.”

Maybe somebody doesn't.

Or at least maybe that somebody doesn't always have to be me.

Every hour I don't spend comparing hotel rooms or figuring out which store has the cheapest school supplies is still my time. I can use it for work that actually needs my brain, building something I care about, sitting by the water reading a book, hanging with my family or doing absolutely nothing.

What are you still doing yourself simply because you're good at it?

Remember, you are still the author of what comes next.

Warmly,

Heather

Anchored in Possibility™ | The future belongs to those who know who they are when everything changes.