09 Dec Putting Things That Satisfy on Your Plate

This post is an updated twist on one of my most-loved holiday articles — because some lessons are worth serving again.

As we move into the holiday season, life can start to resemble an overfilled dinner plate. Obligations, commitments, events, expectations — we heap them on, spoonful after spoonful, often choosing things that make others happy. But when we fill our plate with everyone else’s favorites, we leave no room for the mashed potatoes or cookies we genuinely love.

And that’s when dissatisfaction creeps in. We end the holidays depleted, unfulfilled… and somehow still hunting for dessert, hoping it will fill what’s missing.

A satisfying life isn’t an accident. It’s the result of intentionally making space for what nourishes you most — those holiday cookie moments that make everything richer, sweeter, and more meaningful.

Why We Don’t Put What We Want on Our Plate

Over the last year, through my work as a Productivity Coach, I’ve noticed something consistent: most people — regardless of their role or title — struggle to make room for what truly matters. We are all leaders of our own lives, yet we often forget to lead ourselves toward what satisfies us.

Here are three common patterns I see:

1. We Put Our Passion Projects on the Back Burner

Do you have a project that excites you, inspires you, or simply brings you joy — yet somehow never makes it onto your schedule? Between daily demands, inboxes, meetings, and the business-of-business, the work that would actually fulfill us gets pushed aside in favor of what feels urgent.

There is a way to change this. You must plan for your satisfying work.

• • Break your project into small, doable steps
  • Prioritize those steps
  • Move them from the “when I have time” list to your Important or Hot list
  • Protect short blocks of time and work on it consistently

Progress is built one spoonful at a time. Think of it like the old saying: How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Big, meaningful work doesn’t happen in one push — it happens in a series of intentional, bite-sized actions. Each spoonful counts. Each bite adds up. Before you know it, what once felt overwhelming becomes something you’ve already begun — and something you can absolutely finish.

2. We Get Lost in Perfection

Do you hesitate to send something out because it isn’t “perfect”? Do you spend excessive time polishing work that is already more than good enough? Perfection is seductive — and it’s a brilliant disguise for procrastination. Here’s the truth: very good is often more valuable than perfect.

The difference between the two usually lives in the last 20% of effort — effort that rarely delivers meaningful return. Think of every tech company you know: they release imperfect updates all the time, because momentum matters more than flawlessness.

Excellence moves you forward. Perfection keeps you stuck.

3. We Don’t Know How to Relax

For years, culture rewarded constant motion. Busy equaled important. If we weren’t doing, we weren’t valuable. Thankfully, that narrative is shifting — but we’re not sure what to replace it with. When I ask clients what they do to relax, I often hear a list of tasks:

• • I should read more
  • I should exercise more
  • I should organize the house

Those are activities, not rest. They’re doing, not being.

Real restoration happens when we quiet the shoulds and reconnect with what soothes us. Ask yourself:

• • What restores me?
  • What helps me exhale?
  • When do I feel like myself again?

For some it’s journaling. For others, it’s music, nature, or yes — a bubble bath. Relaxation is not a reward you earn. It’s a requirement you deserve.

Your Holiday Plate, Your Rules

These are trying times. The world is loud. Expectations are high. But satisfaction shows up when we choose — deliberately — what belongs on our plate.

So this season, ask yourself:

• What nourishes me?
• What satisfies me?
• What deserves space on my plate?

My wish for you is simple: may you fill your holiday plate with what feeds your soul — not just your schedule.