I’ll get to it someday soon.
Maybe someday. Someday I will make it happen.
These kind of phrases nauseate me, and far too often I’m nauseated by myself.
The biggest problem with the phrases above is that ‘someday’ is incredibly ambiguous.
Someday will never arrive.
That’s why when you say something will get done someday, it never gets done. If you look at a calendar, you will never find a day that says ‘someday’. It will never arrive.
What about those things you have been putting off? Give them a real deadline. For three months I put off working out. I injured myself in March and a month later I was ready to get back in the gym, but nothing happened. I told myself that someday soon I would get back into the routine of running and working out. Yet, for two more months that did not happen. It was not until I actually put a date on my calendar and forced myself to go out and sign up at a gym that I started to get back in the habit of working out.
Someday is too ambiguous and most of us are far too flaky to make life serve us instead of the other way around. Don’t wait for someday. There will never be a perfect time to get back in the gym or to start that business or to confront the tyrant in your professional life. Acting in the present always trumps waiting for the right time in an unknown future.
Your calendar is full of specific days, weeks, months, and years. Why would you choose someday when you can choose an actual day and time?
It is okay to give yourself deadlines and to stick to them.
Most of us are used to sticking to deadlines because of work, so why not try and do the same thing with our personal lives? If we can accomplish incredible things at work, why not achieve more in our personal worlds?
My challenge to you this week is to kick ‘someday’ in the face. Stop letting it own your life. Someday should not keep you from losing those 20 pounds. Someday should not be keeping you from starting a business. Someday is not the problem. You are. Get out of your own way. Put things on your calendar. Give yourself reminders. Make them happen. I know you can do it!
Is there something you’ve been putting off? Is your someday almost here? Tell me in the comments.
Self-leadership is perhaps the hardest form of leadership, but always comes first. You have an eloquent perspective, Daniel! (Excuse me, I have to go put something on my calendar 🙂
Thank you Glenn!
I am with you. Someday doesn’t exist on a calendar. It is time to go after things. I believe there is this balance of life, because I have tons of things I need to accomplish, but all of them are important. It’s almost like there is a science to procrastinating well. But, yes deadlines are a must and they work. Great post, Daniel.
Thanks Adam! Glad we’re on the same page!
I plan to kick someday in the face…someday. Just kidding. Well written post.
Love it! Thanks Shawn! I appreciate it!
I suggest you consider deleting the task before scheduling it. If it is on your someday list and is been there for a while, it probably is not very important. Spend the time on something more important instead.