Every so often you just have one of those days.
You know the ones.
The ones where everything seems to stack up and overwhelm you.
You feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day and you’re chasing stuff right from the off.
Well, for me, today was that day.
(Hence me sitting at home writing this while my kids trash the lounge attempting to recreate ninja warrior)
Yeah I know I know.
“Ian I thought you map out your days”
“You always say to make time for the important stuff first”
“To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail”
Well, I did prep. I mapped the crap out of today – colour-coded and EVERYTHING.
But I was thrown some serious curve balls and my day threatened to unravel.
First thing to go?
My workout this morning.
“It’s ok, I’ll just do it this afternoon”
Cut to this afternoon and me running around like a loon trying to get everything done.
So I had a choice – sack off my workout and spend the next 30 minutes fighting fires, or close my laptop and squeeze in a short, sharp session.
Now a few years ago I would definitely have gone for the “hustle” option.
But after a few years of mapping out my day fairly consistently, then watching that plan disintegrate at least once a week, I’ve learned what works.
But more importantly I’ve learned what doesn’t.
So I knew that 30 minutes of training would clear my head, give me a boost of energy and mean I could blast through my remaining jobs later in half the time.
If I had pushed on as I was, I have no doubt I would have dawdled and toiled away like George RR Martin (little Game of Thrones reference there) and achieved practically nothing, been left with no energy this evening and resorted to a Netflix binge.
The lesson? Well, I’ll treat you to a couple this evening as I’m feeling productive all of a sudden:
- Always make time for the stuff that you know makes you feel good long term, even if it doesn’t seem appealing or important in that moment. Skipped the gym or your run this morning? Do it tonight. Don’t buy your own BS, do something, anything.
- Tracking and assessing the days when you cock up is more important than when everything is awesome. It’s when you learn. So don’t be afraid to mess up. We all do. And don’t be afraid to write it down. Own it. Only then can you LEARN from it and avoid doing the same thing again.
Now I’m not saying it’s foolproof, but it sure as hell works better than burying your head in the sand.
Ian “screw-the-hustle” Male
PS. If you’re not sure where to start with this stuff and want a nudge in the right direction, hit reply and tell me and I’ll see if I can help, or get in touch with me at the studio and I can give you a call!
