Happy the man and happy he alone
He, who can call today his own:
He who, secure within can say:
“Tomorrow do thy worst, for i have lived today”
Horace
Why do we worry so much about what has been, what may come, what we cannot control? We do this to such an extent that we don’t live in the current moment. We are not enjoying our time with our partners, our families or our friends because our minds are fixated on everything else, panicking about the future of which we can do very little about. Causing ourselves to mentally tire out and even make ourselves ill with worry. We let precious moments pass us by only to lament doing so at a later date.
The poem above, written by the Roman poet Horace, is a 2000 year old indication that this worry is nothing new, so how can we overcome it?
The clue is in the last line of his poem ‘Tomorrow do thy worst, for I have lived today’. Ensuring we live our best life today and not give power to the stresses that tomorrow may bring. So, the key is to live in deliberate, one-day segments. Know what you must do for this day alone, by all means this can include preparing for days to come, such as arranging a holiday, but do not dedicate so much time that you forget that you are meant to enjoy life in the now.
The key is to not fill our day with too much ‘stuff’ and to live in one day segments. We do this by:
Planning your day, the afternoon before, and tick off every accomplishment as you go.
This helps you track your progress visually, and gives a sense of achievement to carry on. There are tons of apps that can help you do this, but one that I particularly like to use is One Note, simply for its simplicity. Just go to your app store for whichever platform you are on and search for ‘to-do list’ or ‘planner’ and try a few out.
Remembering that every day is a new life to a wise man.
I forget where I read this, but it has stayed with me for years and I find it quite profound. It tells me that there’s ample opportunity to start over anew each day. There’s a reason why the phrase ‘sleep on it’ is so famous, because after you have recharged your batteries for a new day, you are more refreshed, positive and confident to take challenges on.
Waking up early.
I know, I know, this is an unpopular one. Especially with students (been there too), but tell me you don’t feel great in being up early and productive. Okay, the getting out of bed part is crap, especially in winter, but once you are up and have had your coffee (more on this at the end), you feel great that you accomplished the first small task of the day. Now onto the next one on your list.
Not working too late or too early.
This differs from person to person, but personally I shudder at the thought of starting my tasks at 3 am, whereas the next person may relish it, and I stop working (for example, learning new computer skills, learning a language) at 7:30pm and have the rest of the evening as ‘my time’ to do things other than work. We all need this time to unwind and enjoy other things such as the people around us, and I’ve stuck to my one – day segment.
Take the time to slow down.
Yep, if you’re anything like me then you will have a tendency to think about a million things at once and get stuck in ‘analysis paralysis’ and before you know it, three hours have passed by and you have nothing to show for it. Take time to sit down and relax, have a cuppa (cup of tea for anyone reading this from outside the UK) and stop trying to fill every second of the day with stimulus. You will find that you will be much more confident, satisfied, happy and productive if you stop chasing ‘feelings and stimulus’ constantly and accept that feelings, good or bad are fleeting, you will be much more at ease and your mind will relax. Preventing you from mentally burning out.
Forget your worries of tomorrow and don’t stew over yesterday. Yesterday has gone and you can’t control it, win or lose, we take lessons from yesterday and apply them to today. This is easier said than done, but it’s the only way yesterday can be of any value to us. The worries of tomorrow also have no power over us if we concentrate on one-day segments. Again, this takes practice and may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it works wonders for me :D.
Reward yourself for your accomplishments in your one- day segment.
Been to the gym? Reward yourself with your favourite healthy meal, completed your tax return? Have a beer (as long as your to-do list doesn’t include driving afterward), this could even be your favourite takeaway (maybe do this at the end of a five day streak, as much as I love pizza I think having it every day would destroy me).
Don’t get me wrong, there are things in life that are incredibly important that require prior planning, and to ignore them is silly, such as paying the mortgage, and you’re not going to solve that in just one day, but break it down into day-tight sections and gradually chip away at the bigger tasks. Seeing progress being made in this way gives you a ‘pick-me-up’ and keeps you motivated to continue and smash your task.
The above tips give you more control over your day – to – day life, and give you a confident air of calm about you as you look like (and do have!) your sh*t together that little bit more.
Stay Confident
Luke