Driving to work, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, eating a sandwich—what do they all have in common? They are the stuff of ordinary, everyday life. Nothing exciting, same old thing. Or so we think. We know that if we plug in the charger on our smartphone we recharge and gain access to power. In the same way, if we learn how to plug in to the power of everyday, it can make us smarter, happier and more successful.
Plug In to Everyday
You can either stay unplugged and run down, or you can get plugged in to the reality of everyday and harness the power for yourself. Look at the difference between being unplugged and plugged in when it comes to attitudes and beliefs about everyday:
Unplugged: Everyday is boring and unimportant. Yawn. It’s just another day. It doesn’t matter.
Plugged In: Today is life. You don’t have yesterday or tomorrow, just today. What you do today matters, because the days add up to the life you’ve created. Your next thought can be the start of a new life.
Unplugged: There’s an endless supply of regular days. Life will always be this way. This will last forever. It will never get better (or worse).
Plugged In: Life is fleeting—just ask any parent of a grown child. You can’t predict the future, but you can affect it by your vision and your everyday actions. Don’t get caught with regrets because you lived life without intention.
Unplugged: Weekends are better than weekdays. Love Fridays and dread Mondays. Glorify leisure and think that work is a four-letter word.
Plugged In: Work is what gives us a feeling of accomplishment. With the right attitude and methods, work is fulfilling and creative. Leisure time is necessary, but too much of it (and living for it) is a sad waste of life. Most of us have to work for a living, and we can either feel sorry or grateful for it.
Unplugged: Sloppy and Lazy are okay. It’s just a regular day, so it’s okay to dress sloppy, be late, procrastinate and hold back.
Plugged In: How we dress and how we value our time affect how much we get done—and how we feel about ourselves. We find the most joy in the extra effort.
Unplugged: Somewhere out there is a Big Break and a Really Important Day.
Plugged In: Behind every big break is a long succession of ordinary days of work, persistence and consistency.
The Power of Everyday
Here are some practical examples that demonstrate the power of everyday effort:
Social Media growth – Spending just a few minutes on audience-building tasks EVERY DAY creates momentum and regular growth.
Social Media posting – Consistent DAILY posts beat once-a-week overkill.
Writing/Blogging – Writing EVERY DAY not only sharpens your skill, it snowballs into massive production.
Product Creation – Working on an information product for a short time EVERY DAY removes overwhelm and replaces it with real progress.
Practical Action Steps to Plug In to the Power of Everyday
- Start simple. Don’t decide to change 55 things today.
- If you can only do a little bit, do it anyway. Littles add up to BIG.
- Choose an “I know I need to” daily task, one that’s been neglected or seems overwhelming.
- Set a timer for 10 minutes and do the task.
- Commit to repeat each day. Over time, you WILL see results!
Ordinary “everydays” can either lull you to sleep or create great results in your life. Adjust your perspective and plug in to the power of everyday.
“Oh, the ordinary day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me be grateful while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall fall upon my knees, or bury my face in the pillow, or lie among the sick, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.” ~ Mary Jean Iron
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Great advice Kim! I tend to be the “once a week overkill” type when it comes to social media. Lucky for me though I use Buffer App, so I can do my overkill but have all of my posts nicely scheduled throughout the week. For anyone who knows that they will let their posting schedule slip each day, I recommend having a once-a-week block of time to schedule all of your posts using Buffer App or something similar such as Hootsuite.
Thanks Charlotte. I need to work on the writing every day and content creation. I would add to the list plugged in-helping someone else.