I write most blog posts in the morning. I'm fairly disciplined about it, and I haven't missed a Monday or Thursday post in 2 1/2 years, but some days are harder than others. Sometimes I'm not sure what to write about. Other times I have a topic I'm excited about, but writing takes a back seat to the other ideas and to-dos that pop into my head.
I'll go to Facebook to see when I posted about a certain topic and next thing I know, I'm liking people's first-day-of-school pictures. Or I head to Amazon to grab the link for a book and a minute later I'm shopping for my son's birthday gifts. Or my daughter will come into the office to say good morning and then all of a sudden we're looking at something for school.
Connecting with friends on Facebook, shopping for my son's birthday gifts, and being aware of what's going on in my daughter's class are all important, but they aren't urgent.
My mornings go better when I stick to the list. And even though four of the items are the same every day - write in journal, meditate, write blog post, exercise - mornings go better when I physically write them out to help me stay on track. That way I don't skip anything and I also don't wander too far off course.
When other items pop into my consciousness, I add them to a list for later. That way I ensure they're not forgotten, and I take care of them at the right time.
Have you ever gone grocery shopping and bought everything on your list and nothing else? It's really satisfying, isn't it? The same type of satisfaction can apply to sticking to a to-do list, checking off everything and only working on those items. It's about being purposeful and honoring your commitment to yourself. It's about putting first things first.
Stick to the list.
Photo by Breakingpic on Pexels.com