We all get used to doing things a certain way, but that way may not always be what’s best for us and our goals.

It pays to step back now and then and get some perspective.

Ask yourself the Dr. Phil question: How’s that working for you? (Or even “What if I stopped doing this or got someone else to do it?”)

Take a step back

I did this recently (prompted by taking time to catch my breath on our vacation) and am sure glad I did.

Pre-questioning, I used to start my days with a frantic “ok what am I going to do today? I’ve got this, that, and the other thing, oh and I’m supposed to do A, B, and C too — ugh. How am I ever going to get all this done?”

Then I’d try to juggle things around, stew a bit, work on stuff, and go to bed feeling stressed out that I hadn’t finished everything. It was like being stuck on an amusement park ride.

No more.

That wasn’t working for me, and it was unhealthy.

Make a change

Now I get up, glance at my list, and ask “What can I do right now?”

Then I do it and move on.

If there are things leftover, I can move them to a different day. Sometimes I even — gasp — remove an item from my list without doing it. It turns out that not everything really needs to be done. Life goes on.

This little bit of introspection has saved me a mountain of stress. Sometimes I do catch myself falling back on my old habit. But I’m catching myself, which means I can take a deep breath and stop.

Reap the benefits

In short, a little bit of questioning (along with making purposeful changes) can really benefit you.

Why not take a look at the habits in your life to see how they are (or aren’t) working for you? You’ll probably be glad you did. And at the very least, you deserve a little bit of a break.