We all have good days and bad days. Busy days and days we don’t get a lot done. Days when we’re full of energy and days when we need a nap.
So, why do we plan our days assuming we’ll always be at our best?
We’re not always at our best. Sometimes, we’re tired or ill or overwhelmed. We don’t feel up to everything. Other days, we feel great and are ready to take on the world.
Instead of rigidly planning our days, assuming we’ll be able to work at full speed, what if we create two versions of our day’s schedule?
- Bare minimum (to use when we’re tired, feeling sick, overwhelmed, feeling down, etc.)
- Crushing it (when we have lots of energy and feel like doing everything)
When you’re tired or feeling bad, you do the bare minimum. You take care of deadlines, important obligations, things that can’t wait. You get through the day and live to see another.
And, when you’re full of energy, excited about the day ahead, you put on your Superman cape, look at your other list, and crush it.
In other words, you pay attention to how you feel instead of following a rigid schedule.
You don’t literally need to make two lists. Just put a star next to everything on the list that qualifies as “bare minimum”.
Most days, you probably feel somewhere in the middle. You do more than the minimum, but probably less than you might do when you’re fully charged. With two versions of your day’s list, you can ramp up or scale down, depending on how you feel.
Of course, there will be days when you feel good in the morning but poop out in the afternoon. Or high energy early in the week and low energy as you approach the week end. That’s another way to use your lists.
I know, we’re told consistency is our friend and we should make a schedule and stick to it no matter what.
But hey, Superman never gets sick or tired, but the rest of us need some options.
