Are you kidding me?

Of course, the schedule is crammed with sports and music lessons for my kids. Any reasonable parent would; scholarships are waiting. We sign up for all the book clubs or meet-ups we can coordinate. Weddings of college friends, birthday parties for the kindergarten, and household maintenance monopolize weekends. If in doubt, the binge watch list is awaiting our attention.

The tyranny of technology is brutal on our ability to think and recharge. The introverts solitude and the extroverts social engagements give time to tap into what we need to regain our true selves. The work, commutes, responsibilities of both kids and aging parents, and the siren call of social media tug at our attention until we are spent.

With the barrage of responsibilities, distractions, and opportunities coming at you; how do you decide to make a commitment? How does a commitment request flow through your decision matrix to get to 'yes'?

Who or what do you allow to bypass your commitment gatekeeper and short circuit your system? Does Aunt Millie know how to pile on the guilt and destroy your schedule each weekend? Does the dog always needs to pee halfway through your meditation?

Author, Tim Ferriss, promotes the practice of setting aside blocks of time, mini-sabbaticals, and outsourcing tasks to focus on important work. He establishes a metric for each experiment he runs through, whether time (two weeks) or quantity (six times).

Entrepreneur, Derek Sivers, advocates saying "yes" to every new opportunity to build experience and a reputation early in a project. However, the goal is to quickly get to the point where the decision matrix is either "No" or "Hell Yes!" Fellow entrepreneur, James Altucher will charge exorbitant speaking fees to discourage requests.

The end state is the ability to dedicate resources to liberate your best self to the world. Weariness will not release creativity. Anxiety will not deliver generosity. Busyness does not produce patience. Distraction will not provide love.

Defining and reserving your commitment for the important frees you to dedicate your life to what is most fulfilling. Reading bedtime stories, date nights with your lover, raising dogs, or working on your passion project. We have enough weariness, anxiety, busyness and distraction. The world needs your commitment to creativity, generosity, patience, and love.

Thank-you for giving your best.