Do, Every Day, All That Can Be Done That Day

From Chapter 12, Efficient Action:

Do, every day, ALL that can be done that day.

There is, however, a limitation or qualification of the above that you must take into account.

You are not to overwork, nor to rush blindly into your business in the effort to do the greatest possible number of things in the shortest possible time.

You are not to try to do tomorrow’s work today, nor to do a week’s work in a day.

This reminded me of a story about J.P. Morgan (from The Personal MBA):

One day, a man approached JP Morgan, held up an envelope, and said, “Sir, in my hand I hold a guaranteed formula for success, which I will gladly sell to you for $25,000.”

“Sir,” JP Morgan replied, “I do not know what is in the envelope. However, if you show me and I like it, I give you my word as a gentleman that I will pay you what you ask.”

The man agreed to the terms and handed over the envelope. JP Morgan opened it, and extracted a single sheet of paper. He gave it one look and handed the piece of paper back to the gent, pulled out his checkbook, and paid the man the agreed-upon $25,000.

The paper read:

1. Every morning, write a list of the things that need to be done that day.
2. Do them.

But, as Wattles’ says, don’t put more on that list than you can accomplish that day.

Do what you can, where you are, today. If you try to do too much in one day, you’ll overwhelm yourself, and constantly be thinking about what needs to be done next – not what you are doing now.

Do what you can, where you are, today. When one task is complete, check it off of your list, and move on to the next.

One task at a time (what my friend Rick Cockrum calls Monotasking), doing it to the best of your ability, keeping in mind your Clear Mental Image, with a purpose to reach it and the faith that you will reach it, is acting in the Certain Way.