That’s my new motto, at least when it comes to weeknights. I used to try to do a lot in my off-work hours: hit the gym, cook dinner, whip up a blogpost for the next day, catch up on other social media, read, call my fam, and get in some writing time. Sometimes I’d go really crazy and try to add cleaning, laundry, or (gasp) some kind of socializing in the mix.
Shocker: I ended up half-assing a whole lot of stuff.
My new philosophy? One thing well.*
On weeknights, aside from the non-negotiables (some kind of exercise or activity to destress; healthy eating, whether I prepare it or someone else does) and quality time with fiance/catching up with friends and family, I get to do one task. And I will try to do it well.
If it’s a night on which I want to revise two chapters, I’m not going to try to write a post, too. If I need to vacuum my insanely dusty apartment,** then maybe I’m not going to finish a read-through. I know what my priorities are, and it’s surprisingly easier than I thought to balance one-thing-per-night in accordance to them. Maybe I’ll clean less if I’m trying to finish a draft. Maybe I’ll blog more once a project is off with beta readers. Etc.
And you know what is kind of great? Going to sleep knowing that maybe you didn’t get everything done, but you sure whole-assed what you did.
*Slightly different context, but here’s a nice post from Zen Habits on Do One Thing Well
**Seriously, why is dust not a form of energy; because if it were, I would be so very filthy rich. Science, please get on that.
It took me years to figure out that the thing that frustrates me most about being a mom (esp. a working one)is feeling like everything is done half-assed, as you say…this one-thing-well philosophy, even if it meant getting less done overall, might go a long way toward helping my mental health.
Great way to think. When it comes to my writing, then I absolutely adhere to the same 🙂
And those cupcakes not only look amazing, they look DELICIOUS.
That’s a great goal to have for yourself. I know what you mean about half-assing a pile of things and not getting one single thing really accomplished. I’m totally guilty of this too. At the end of the day you sleep so much better when you know you completed one task in particular. This sounds like an excellent plan and I might steal it!. 😀
This is a great philosophy, and I’m glad it’s going well for you. Should definitely help with the balance you’re aiming for this year.
I love this theory, and I think I will adopt it for myself (although I plan to use the “whole-assing” way to say it, which is much more my style).
Thanks, guys! And whole-assing is probably more my style than “one thing well,” to be honest–but I don’t think I need Google directing people searching for “whole ass” to my blog. Hence I buried the term a bit. 🙂
This is such a great reminder. My mind doesn’t work this way, but I need to try to train it a bit. I start 5 projects a night and never finish any of them, and then I just hate myself for it. I need to focus.
And eat a cupcake.
This is a great way to manage tasks, especially when you have a busy schedule. I kind of do this already, but sometimes forget and feel overwhelmed when I put too many things on my plate for an evening. 🙂