Picture this.
It’s 9:30 pm and you’re laying comfy on your sofa.
It’s been a long day and finally, everyone is where they should be. You can’t wait to relax and unwind.
As you walk towards your bedroom you think:
“I really should set up the coffee maker.”
You glance over at the sink.
“I really should do the dishes and get this space cleared up.”
You remember your early morning meeting:
“I really should figure out what I’m going to wear before I go to bed.”
All of which sounds like the last thing you want to think about. Or DO.
It. Is. The. Worst.
Who wants to prep, tidy, or plan at this time of night when your bed is so nearby?
You ignore your instinct and decide to deal with everything in the morning.
Then this happens.
You wake up late, a little scattered. Without that coffee aroma to arouse your senses, you hit snooze one too many times.
You sigh as you already feel depleted passing by your sink full of dishes.
You’re twenty minutes behind and realize everything clean or cute in your closet needs to be ironed, so you throw on an unflattering shirt.
Your hubby asks about an appointment and your tone is overly snippy.
You dash out the door knowing traffic is worse by now, and of course, stain your shirt with coffee as you back out the driveway. (Now it’s even frumpier).
Sound familiar?
Here’s the thing.
When you hear that little voice in your head that tells you what you know you should be doing, it often feels like the worst.
The worst idea at the moment.
The worst way to spend your time.
The worst alternative.
But it is at that time, at that very moment, is exactly when you must ask yourself this simple but powerful question:
Which worst will be worse?
Is it worse to take the five minutes to set up your coffee maker or…
Worse to wake up late without it?
Is it worse to invest ten minutes in clearing the sink or…
Worse to deal with the overflowing one the next day?
Is it worse to pull yourself off the couch and pick an outfit or…
Worse to deal with the anxiety when you’re already running late?
Which worst is worse?
If you regularly find yourself behind, stressed out, overwhelmed, or stretched too thin, I guarantee you’re making choices based on your immediate inconvenience instead of your longer-term happiness.
Even when your immediate choice feels like “the worst”, the worst is usually yet to come.
I’m the first to admit I give in to immediate gratification too. But it never works out.
Because when you do, if you only focus on the here and now…
… you aren’t just letting yourself down.
You’ll be letting other people down, too.
You get snarky and impatient.
Your lack of clarity shows up in your conversations. (Spoiler alert: People sense when you’re not present).
So now I try really, really hard to ask myself: Which worst is worse?
And I implore you to ask yourself too.
Or you end up giving in to immediate gratification instead of planning for your success.
It might feel like the worst use of your time right then, but to work so hard and still feel like you’re drowning…is even worse. I promise.
To getting more of the right things done!
With love and appreciation,
Mridu
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