Some days we are on fire. I mean, I’m talking about the days where you wake up and your coffee just tastes extra perfect and the sun is shining (or it’s peacefully raining– I love a good rainy morning!) and you just KNOW you are going to own. the. day.
But most days don’t go like that.
Most of my mornings start with good intentions. I set an alarm the night before, I plan for a hopeful day ahead, and then the dogs bark at the cat all night, the littles wake up LONG before the sun, and I’ve hit the snooze button more times than I can count. My coffee is too cold by the time I get my first sip and my mood has gone to crap.
So what do you do on a day like this?
Simple: Figure out what is the best thing you can do today.
Now, know that I am using “simple” lightly. I know that sometimes figuring out what needs to get done can be a daunting job, but the concept I am getting at is truly a simple one. So, stick with me.
Let’s get started.
Say you have a to-do list that is a mile long like mine and you KNOW that there is no way you will even make a dent now that your morning has already been thrown out the window. But remember, when everything is important, essentially nothing is too.
So the next step is to figure out what the NEXT best thing to do on your list is. Really take a moment to think about the end goal in mind.
Here’s what works for me:
I ask myself–
- What is the ONE thing that I can tackle that would make everything else easier, or what is the ONE thing that absolutely needs to be done before the next big thing can start?
- How will I feel if I were only able to accomplish that ONE item on the list?
- How do I want to feel when the day is done? –I get deep in visualizing this one to paint the clearest picture possible.
- What is the first step in accomplishing this task?
- And lastly, do I have what I need to do it? If not, I get the stuff together because obviously if I need something to do my most important task, getting those items suddenly becomes paramount.
Then I do the BIG thing and take that first step in tackling it– that’s right, I get started.
See, I told you it was simple. But like we all know, sometimes even the simple things take some work to put into practice.
On your rough days, slow things down and focus on what would be the next best thing to do on your list. This can be as simple as “drink a second cup of coffee” or as big as “make that call that I keep putting off.” But either way, taking that first step does something bigger than you’d think. It builds momentum.
And once you get going, we all know you’ll be unstoppable. So, don’t be afraid to slow things down and do what is best for you every single day. You just might thank yourself for it!
