Slow down; You move too fast. (Times of Your Life).

My sister Faith gets more done before 9:00 a.m. than most people accomplish all day. She is such an inspiration to me that I decided I could do it, too. The problem is, when my alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m., I manage to wake up just long enough to shut it off.

Comparing myself with my sister is frustrating. But what's more frustrating is to think I ought to be doing more when I already accomplish enough to occupy a small platoon of marines. The fact is that no matter how much you do, there will always be someone who can do more and do it faster and make you feel guilty by comparison. It's the classic struggle with overcommitment--doing it all, not getting enough sleep, juggling priorities.

What we need is an attitude adjustment--which we should get regularly like spinal adjustments. Slow down. It's not about who does the most; it's about who gets the most out of it. We have a fascination with overachievers. I know, because I have it too. How do they do it? we wonder, a bit awestruck. What we don't think to ask is Why? Why do they do it?

I know my busiest times are almost never the times I am most satisfied with my life. Sometimes they are, but for the most part, if I'm juggling my schedule I'm not happy. The trouble is that unlike in true juggling, when objects are captured methodically before catastrophe can strike, in real life something's "gotta give." You simply can't do everything and have it all without paying for it somewhere. It may be in a place that doesn't show. Perhaps you've given up your personal time to take on extra work so your kids can take piano lessons, or have agreed to teach a craft class. Who will know besides you? The answer might surprise you.

There's an ugly backlash to overextension that doesn't get much press time. When we overextend ourselves, committing energy and emotional resources beyond what we have available, we have to borrow from somewhere. The supposedly least critical areas get borrowed from the most. These are often our personal relationships; usually we cheat the people closest to us because we expect them to understand if we come up short.

The paradox of overextension shows up when we stop to examine it. It is this: We are cheating the people we love the most out of ourselves simply to do more for the people we love the most. And the plain truth of the matter is that none of us is so indispensable that we have to do it all.

Try this simple experiment to see for yourself. Take one day. Not a day in which you throw up your hands and just give up, but a planned day. Open your Filofax or your DayRunner or your PalmPilot or whatever you use to keep your daily list of to-dos. There is one day this week that won't fall apart if you are not present to keep the world spinning on its axis. Cross it off. This day you will play hooky, just like in school.

Play. Stare at the ceiling. Take a long walk. Read a good book. Do whatever you've been dying to do. At the end of the day I hope you'll see that taking care of yourself is the first step toward taking care of everyone else who depends on you. It shouldn't be your last priority, but your first. The rest will fall into place, and others will envy you not because you do more than 10 people, but because you enjoy the work of one very satisfied person.

Celeste perrino Walker has found out her home doesn't totally fall apart when she plans a day off and has fun in Rutland, Vermont.