Remind yourself constantly:
And then leave work guilt-free because…
Well, do we need to repeat it again?
Time management trick: define whether each task of your day should have a “hard stop” or “soft stop.”
The problem with getting these confused is that it mostly hurts your top priorities.
Top priority tasks should be treated as “soft stops,” but are often treated as “hard stops.” Things like sleep, family time, exercise, writing, reading, connecting with friends, etc.—you should be able to spend whatever amount of time feels right. But, either you force yourself to cut it short or you don’t have enough time to allot.
Which leads to the second confusion: treating tasks that should be “hard stops” as “soft stops.” Things like TV, video games, social media time, etc—you can easily end up spending entire days doing these types of things if you don’t take control. And when you don’t, that excessive time gets taken from—that’s right—your top priorities.
And it turns into a vicious cycle.
Not enough time to do what’s most important because you spent too much time doing what’s not. And because you have less time, you’re constantly playing catch up.
So, what’s the solution? Give what’s less important tighter “hard stops” and then you’ll finally get to enjoy “soft stops” while doing what’s more.
When you solve the big problems what you might find is that the little problems take care of themselves.
Like, when you solve sleep.
Suddenly, you won’t need to spend so much time thinking about snoozing, caffeine, being late, battling fatigue, managing grumpy moods, hiding bags under your eyes, etc.
Or, when you solve healthy habits.
Suddenly, you won’t spend so much of your day feeling like crap, thinking about your weight, battling your lazy mind, trying to hide your body, figuring out how to treat symptoms, considering fad diets, trying out trendy workouts, questioning your self-worth, etc.
Or, when you solve gratitude.
Suddenly, you won’t feel like you’re constantly in a state of lack; like you need to hustle for more money; like you need to beat the people you’re comparing yourself to; like you need to buy the latest and greatest; like happiness is forever on the other side of a fleeting finish line.
Don’t let the urgent little overtake the important big.
People are going to judge.
Let them.
People are going to gossip.
Let them.
People are going to hate.
Let them.
DON’T, however, let them steal your center.
For when you let them steal your center, you lose your clarity.
And it’s when you’ve lost your clarity that you begin judging, gossiping and hating all the same.
Without it, we could go years thinking we’re on track, only to realize we spend all that time moving in the wrong direction.
How to build self-awareness?
Well, let’s not complicate this—you simply have to spend time turning your awareness onto your self.
A good way to guide this practice is to work your way through some tough, meaningful questions. Some of which might include:
A few minutes per day sure beats losing a few years in the wrong direction.
Everybody wants what they don’t have.
Don’t be everybody.
When you want what you already have, you close the loop.
You can finally focus on enjoying rather than having to constantly bear the feeling of lacking.
When you choose contentment, the byproduct is happiness.
When you choose discontentment, the byproduct is unhappiness.
Let growth come from your happiness, don’t let unhappiness become the crux of your growth.
Your first priority each day should be doing that which improves your state.
Because the byproduct of an improved state is more of the same. It overflows from your being. It starts a positive upward spiraling loop. Your happiness increases their happiness, which increases yours even further, which increases theirs further and so on.
Influencing others becomes a joy, they find joy in influencing you, and it’s hardly a task.
If you start from a place of lack, discontent, and busyness—then, that too, will attract more of the same. It overflows from your being. It starts a negative downward spiraling loop. Your discontent increases their discontent, which increases yours further, which increases theirs further and so on.
Influencing others positively will become a chore because it will be in direct contradiction to your own state—and it’ll hardly be a joy for anyone involved.
Start each day with a conscious series of efforts designed to improve your state. Whether that’s exercise, meditation, reading, writing, walking—it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you identify what works for you and you prioritize it each morning in a non-negotiable way.