Have Yourself A Non-zero Day
“It's better to do less than you hoped for than nothing at all. No zero days.” — James Clear
While we can have super productive days in life, there are other times when our days don’t go according to plan. It can be a stressful situation or certain unexpected events that take us off course. This can leave us feeling guilty or discontented at the day’s end.
Earlier in my life, I used to let an overwhelming feeling affect how my day went. I used to rest for longer than necessary, not doing what I actually wanted to. It was an all-or-nothing situation on most of those days.
Gradually, with more experience and exposure to fresh perspectives, I understood that the unpleasant experience shall pass. I could decide what I wanted to do in the moment after that.
There is power in having non zero days.
We set goals for ourselves and plan our day accordingly. As we keep going, the uncertainty of life can play a spoilsport. We can either let the rest of our day go sideways, or do less than we hoped for than nothing at all.
When we choose to do something, even if it's a few tasks among the many, we will be moving a step closer to our goals. This is a step in the right direction. Possibilities open up — one task can lead to another, and before we know it, there’s more done than expected.
"Instead of feeling that you’ve blown the day and thinking, "I'll get back on track tomorrow," try thinking of each day as a set of four quarters: morning, midday, afternoon, evening. If you blow one quarter, you get back on track for the next quarter. Fail small, not big."
— Gretchen Rubin
At the end of the day, we are left feeling more content than we would have been otherwise. If we can do this on a regular basis, we will start seeing results faster. The positives will compound, negatives will start to diminish. This is muscle training.
By having non-zero days, we also make valuable use of our time. We will achieve and live more. When we look back a few years from now, we’ll be grateful for doing better with each passing day.
It takes effort, but we got this!