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Create a “Bad Day” Routine to Stay on Track With Your Most Important Goals
It doesn't have to be “all or nothing.”
Everyone has “good” and “bad” days.
I’m no exception.
On “good days,” I blast through my to-do list like a machine.
I feel unstoppable — as if I could accomplish anything.
“Bad days” are a different story — a complete lack of ideas, energy, or motivation and a nihilistic sense that “nothing really matters.”
Before I understood this energetic cycle, I would beat myself up when I had a bad day and try to grind through it, only to end up exhausted and burned out a few days later.
If I had too many bad days in a row, it would knock me out of my routine and keep me from accomplishing important goals—like sticking with a fitness plan or growing a new income stream.
Subconsciously, I thought —
If I can’t do it perfectly, I might as well not do it at all.
Has this ever happened to you?
These days, I have a “system” in place that helps me get through my low-energy days while keeping me on track with my most important goals.
How It Works
The basic idea is that I have two routines.
My “good day” routine is the ideal.
It’s what I always strive for.
I wake up early, make significant progress on work projects, get my FULL workout in, and accomplish any other to-do’s on my list for the day.
It’s all the things.
My “bad day” routine is the bare minimum I need to do to stay on track with my goals.
It’s only the most essential work/life tasks.
Everything else can wait.
It might mean taking a relaxing walk or doing yoga instead of pushing myself through a high-intensity gym workout.
The most important part is that I don’t beat myself up when I’m having a low-energy day.
I adjust my routine.
Like a car, we can’t always drive in fifth gear.
Sometimes, you need to downshift to keep moving forward.
