Ever read those articles? You know the ones I’m talking about. The ones titled something like “47 Things More Successful People Do Before You’ve Hit Your Snooze Button for the Third Time”. Or, you know, something like that.
I had sort of crappy day the other day, and was in a rather pissy mood and was not making things better by reading one after the other of what successful business owners do every damn day. As I read each list, I thought: “Nope. Don’t do that. Also? Not that. Aaaand I’ve never done that.”
I decided to write my own list of things that I sometimes do, yet still manage to be rather successful.
Here it is:
- Forget to take a shower until 2p, if I remember at all
- Eat what’s left on one of my kids’ plates for dinner
- Don’t get all of my work done because I get too caught up in that one Law & Order where Stabler loses his temper
- Stay up WAY too late, setting up goodies in Neko Atsume to lure Lady Meow Meow to visit
- Check email every 3 minutes, because I can’t focus
I got this here.
- Bitch about having to wake up in the morning, and then ask my husband if we can just lay around all day
- Get seriously jealous of my cats when I see them laying around all day
- Feel an enormous sense of satisfaction as I cross off things on my To Do list at the end of the day… And then add them to tomorrow’s To Do list
- Send at least 3 selfies throughout the day, of whatever I’m doing at that moment, to my friend Richard
- Sorry… I got sucked into another episode of Law & Order, I can’t remember number 10… Maybe something about using QuickBooks Online?
My point here is the one I try to remind everyone when they get down on themselves about not being as productive as they think they should be every waking minute.
On occasion, I consider getting nothing done a very successful day.
It’s important to have goals, and to bust your ass to reach them. It’s important to be a successful business owner, because otherwise, what’s the point? But sometimes? It’s also important to not be productive every second of every day, and just eat ice cream* for lunch, standing in the middle of your kitchen.
*Gelato can also be defined here as a very successful standing-in-your-kitchen lunch.
Thanks for the reminder. Sometimes productivity means doing a puzzle with the kids. Or getting groceries in the house. Just don’t tell my clients!
Or just giving your brain a break. Boredom = creativity!
-StacyK
Thank you so much for your candor. #3 and #8 are on my list regularly. Have you seen Motive? Reminding myself to savor more, because summer is only beginning in NY and I don’t want to miss it.
I haven’t, but I’ve been watching WAY to many NUMB3RS reruns. So bad, it’s good.
-StacyK
I love NUMB3RS. I watch it too when I put my head in the sand and shut out reality.
Love it! really reminds us to be “normal” when running our business’s instead of my 101 to do lists
I love my lists! However, when I read an article with a list of these amazing things people do before they’re even fully awake and start thinking that I should also be doing ALL OF THE THINGS – and then notice that I’m having to what time to pick my kid up from his last day of school – it means I need to sit back, slow down and just catch my breath 🙂
-StacyK
This is reality and mug more doable. When I am productive I kick ass. So when I am not, I really need to give myself a break. Banter 30 years of doing this, I never complete my to do list, yet I meet my deadlines and goals. Clients don’t know the difference so why am I so hard on myself???
Thanks so much for the refreshing read!
So true! The downtime is important and a freedom resulting from being self employed that I am grateful for.
Thanks so much for this! We need breaks and reminders to not work 24-7. Ha! If only. But, I do have alerts in my calendar specifically to break. And I’ll admit I’ve been known to do #8 a few times …
Thanks for the chuckle Stacey! Sounds like my work life. Just change out the cat for a dog. And since my kids are grown and gone, I eat what’s left on my husband’s plate!
Oh and shower? People d0 that every day? In the morning? Huh!
Right?? Every day! LOL
-StacyK