Do the best job you can today

The wisdom of doing what you can

We’ve all had those days when, because of circumstances beyond our control, we’re not at our best. Maybe you’re exhausted after being up much of the night with a sick child. Maybe you’re improvising on a call from a random parking lot because a pile-up on the interstate kept you from getting to your desk—and your notes—on schedule.

Whatever the situation, rather than getting discouraged, it’s helpful to recognize that the best we can do today may not be our best ever, but we can still do the best job we can today.

Now, this tip actually includes two useful insights.

The first and most obvious one is that when we’re faced with sub-par circumstances, we can recalibrate expectations. If you read this newsletter, my guess is that you spend a lot of your life doing A+ work. But sometimes a B+ will do just fine. Lots of people would be happy with a B+. You can learn to be happy too.

The second insight, though, is more profound. Even on rough days, you can choose not to write the day off completely. Maybe this is not the best call you’ll ever have or the best lesson you’ll ever teach, but you can still put in real effort and do a good enough job.

And honestly, over the long haul, even little things add up if you just keep going. The difference between nothing and just a little more than nothing is small on any given day, but cumulatively, it’s huge. If all you can do is one important task beyond life maintenance, then do it. The day has still landed in the positive category. One task a day is 365 a year (or around 240 if we’re counting work days). It’s still a lot. Everything else will sort itself out.