I saw this question reposted on a friend’s Instagram and decided to ask AI, since it knows me well:

“If a competent CEO got to run your life in 2026, what is the first thing they would eliminate?”

The answer wasn’t subtle. AI was quick to call out my chronic overcommitment.

Not my ambition or creativity, just the part where I say yes to things that don’t move my life or work forward.

A CEO would open my calendar, scan the clutter, and immediately notice the pattern that I’m a top performer doing work that doesn’t require my level of expertise… simply because I can.

The Sneaky Part About Overcommitment

It rarely looks like chaos. It looks like competence. Things like a quick review of a friend’s manuscript that turns into a redesign or a small favor that becomes a six-week long advisory council commitment.

Helpful? Sure.

Strategic? Not even a little.

What Needs to Go

So since I am the CEO of my life, here’s what I need to cut:

– Automatic yeses that steal time from the work that matters.

– Unpaid emotional labor that solves problems others could handle.

– Tasks I absorb because someone else is moving slowly.

– Volunteer brilliance that drains the energy needed for my long-term goals.

Why This Matters

Because 2026 isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing the right things.

VR/AI curriculum.

Leadership writing.

Consulting.

Growing the work that actually changes lives requires space. Space I keep giving away out of habit.

And here’s the part that ties back to my work guiding others:

I can’t coach people toward intentional, human-centered leadership while running my own life on overdrive. Clarity creates integrity and boundaries create authenticity.

And if I am committed to being a leader, then modeling the hard choices gives others permission to do the same.

So yes, my AI bestie called me out. But it was the nudge I needed.

So in 2026, I’m firing the overwhelm. Not because I can’t handle it, but because I finally know I don’t have to.