Whether or not you’ve read Marshall Goldsmith’s best-selling book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, you know certain mindsets are most helpful during particular seasons of your life and career. Ways of thinking about things that were critical to your success 3 years ago may not be helpful to you anymore. In fact, they may be holding you back.

That’s why I’m letting go of the following mantras in 2024:

1. Get your work done first, then you can play.

Though undoubtedly helpful to my 5th grade self, I’m learning that in this phase of life, the work never stops. If I want to have fun in my life, I have to walk away from my laptop, ignore the cell phone, and give myself permission to just enjoy this beautiful life.

2. Nothing worth doing is ever easy.

This mantra got me through college and my first job (where yes, I did sleep under my desk at least once), and I learned a tremendous amount during those years. But part of why I put in all those hours is so that I could become really good at something. At this point, certain projects are easy – it doesn’t mean they aren’t worth doing, it simply means I put in the hours to get good enough. So, I’ll be replacing this mental track with one from my friend Jenny Blake, “Let it be light; let it be easy.”

3. There’s never enough time. 

Having heard my mother (a single, working mom and badass for sure) repeat this often, it has become central to how I see life. However, when reading Laura Vanderkam’s Tranquility by Tuesday, it really sunk in that we all get the same amount of time. 

⏳ Claudia Goldin, Nobel prize winner because of her work on women’s labor? 24 hours a day.

⏳ Adam Grant? 24 hours a day.

⏳ The incredibly kind woman across the street who always has time to chat with a neighbor? 24 hours a day.

So instead, I’m embracing a phrase from Fast Forward: “I have enough time for the things that are important to me.” God help my inbox. 😅

Despite have held tightly to these beliefs for, in some cases, 30 years, I know it’s time to let them go. The very best resource I’ve found in helping me use my time on the things I actually care about is Tranquility by Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam. Check out our book review here.