All Or Nothing…

Well… It didn’t take too long for me to come to a fork in the road.

Today, I had a decision to make - to blog or not to blog.

It really is that simple…

“Sluggish days and bad workouts maintain the compound gains you accrued from previous good days. Simply doing something - ten squats, five sprints, a push-up, anything really - is huge. Don’t put up a zero. Don’t let losses eat into your compounding.”

- Atomic Habits, James Clear

Last week was pretty chaotic. Monday started just fine, but around midnight, Graham started coughing. Not just like a typical sick cough. It was that sad croupy, as a parent you feel completely helpless, kind of cough. At that point, we knew that the week was about to be rough. I took Graham to the doctor on Tuesday hopeful that we’d get the negative Covid test, and he could go back to school on Wednesday and we could get back on the normal routine of things. But of course, that didn’t happen. Wednesday came around and the cough and cold got worse. Next thing you know, Graham is living it up at home the rest of the week, while I try my best to work but also make sure to give him attention and love, playing with him, building forts, etc.

First off - I absolutely love my son! I’d give the world for him. But that doesn’t have to mean that weeks like last week can’t be rough. And rough it was. My habits, my goals, my routine, all were thrown out of whack. And to be completely honest. I have been riding a wave of motivation for quite a while and that kink in the system really threw me for a loop.

Long story short, that’s what brings us to today’s blog. Last week, I didn’t take the time to start drafting this week’s blog - notice I said I didn’t make the time - there was time, I just choose to let myself feel sorry for myself and the “tough” circumstances I found myself in last week. Monday rolled around and still, no blog was written. 9:30 p.m. rolled around - no blog. 10:00 p.m. - no blog.

And so here we are today.

I could have easily had a blog schedule for 9:00 a.m. this morning. I could have watched it post, secretly enjoyed seeing the analytics on my page from the views, time on page, and all the other nerdy data stuff I enjoy, but instead, I’m starting my morning writing a sluggish blog. It’s not going to be professionally edited by my world-class editor - Caitlin. Instead, it’s going to get the ole’ Grammarly quick check, and I’m hitting publish.

Why?

Because I’m more concerned about building the system instead of striving for perfection.

Because I know putting in even just 1% of effort will make a difference in the big picture.

Because I know that if I put it off today, next Tuesday would roll around and there’d be a nice little gap in this Tuesday that would drive me crazy and would allow for my internal voice to tell me I can’t keep up with a blog.

So today, I’m choosing imperfection for the sake of incremental change.

“I think this principle is so important that I’ll stick to it even if I can’t do a habit as well or as completely as I would like. Too often, we fall into an all-or-nothing cylce with our habits. The problem is not slipping up; the problme is thinking that if you can’t do something perfectly, then you shouldn’t do it at all.”

- Atomic Habits, James Clear

So here it is. My messy, sloppy weekly blog. I will hold myself more accountable to all of you and wrap up my two-part series on scheduling and time blocking.

But for now, I hope you find this blog as a source of encouragement.

Encouragement to keep chopping wood, even if your swings aren’t clean. Focus on incremental change, and as you build your systems, days like this will become fewer and fewer.

Remember, tiny changes yield big results.

Added Value:

If it’s not obvious yet, James Clear and his work Atomic Habits have completely changed my outlook on life. I’ve read this book once every year since my first time listening to it on Audible in 2019 and plan to continue to do so. If you haven’t read this book yet, I highly encourage you to find it and give it a read for yourself. I promise you that if you have any desire at all to build better habits and a better life, this book will give you very tangible ways to do so.

If you’re not sold yet or want more info, here’s a great synopsis by Ali Abdaal. I’d love to chat with you about this book. If you’ve read it or in the process of reading it, shoot me an email and let’s get the conversation started!

See ya next week!