Fixing the Bucket Instead of Pouring More Into It There’s an old children’s song I used to hear all the time: “There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza…” And lately, I’ve been thinking about how relevant that is for caregivers, leaders, and working parents. So many of us keep trying to fill our bucket — with better routines, productivity hacks, self-care habits — without ever addressing the hole in the bottom. We keep pouring in energy, time, and effort, only to feel drained again within hours. Not because we aren’t trying, but because our bucket was never designed to hold what we’re asking it to carry. The real work isn’t doing more. It’s fixing what keeps leaking. Sometimes that fix is boundaries. Sometimes it’s rest. Sometimes it’s asking for help before you’re underwater. If you’ve been feeling depleted lately, you’re not broken. Your bucket might just need a patch. What’s one small repair you could make this week to help you show up with a little more strength, clarity, or peace?
A lot of parents and caregivers are walking around with buckets that have holes in the bottom. Sometimes the answer isn't pouring more in. It's fixing what keeps draining us in the first place. What's one small leak in your bucket that you're ready to patch this week?
Today I was thinking about a song I loved as a little kid. Maybe you remember it, too. It goes, There's a hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, Dear Liza, A hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, A hole. And lately I've been realizing that a lot of us parents and caregivers are basically walking around with buckets that have holes in the bottom. But we keep trying to fill them up anyway. We keep pouring in energy and time and effort and sleep we definitely didn't get. And then wonder what why we never feel full.
But if you remember the whole song, it wasn't actually about the water. It was about fixing the bucket. It was about figuring out what keeps draining us and patching that. And that's the part that we often skip. So here's your reminder, and mine, that sometimes the answer isn't pour more in. It's fixing what keeps draining us in the first place. So what's one small leak in your bucket that you can work on and that you're ready to patch this week? Drop it in the comments so we can all work on this together.
A hole in the bucket, Dear Liza, A hole.
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