When the Day Punches Back
How Writers Stay on Their Feet When the Day Goes Sideways
I woke up today with the best intentions.
A fresh to-do list. A full tank of motivation. I was ready to go after it.
After a long holiday weekend (with too much ice cream), I felt ready to reset and get back into the swing of things.
But the day had other plans.
The brakes went out on our car.
The laundry pile had doubled.
And—just to top it off—a bird made a nest in the wreath on our front door.
Not exactly the productive Tuesday I had envisioned.
It reminded me of that classic Mike Tyson quote:
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
As writers, our days can feel like that. We start with big plans, but then life takes a turn.
So, how do we stay standing?
It starts with priorities.
Not the rigid, corporate kind. I like to think of priorities more like bamboo—flexible, adaptable, strong.
Author Brad Stulberg offers a helpful concept called raising the floor. It means adjusting your expectations when the day goes sideways—doing something instead of nothing.
- Writing 250 words instead of 1,000
- Carving out 15 minutes instead of a whole morning
- Reminding yourself: progress, not perfection
One of the books I often recommend to clients is Essentialism by Greg McKeown. He says, “If you don't prioritize your life, someone else will.”
And he’s right. Priorities are embedded in the choices we make each day, especially when those days don’t go as planned.
So today, be bamboo. Bend without breaking. And do what you can with the day you’ve got.
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Keep going,
