I can work all day and still wonder what I accomplished.
I answered emails. Moved things from one list to another. Opened 84 tabs. Researched something I may or may not need. Completed several small tasks that felt productive in the moment.
But did I move the thing that matters forward?
Not always.
The problem isn’t that I’m doing nothing. It’s that I’m often doing everything except the one thing that would actually make a difference.
The important task is rarely the easiest one. It’s usually the one you’ve been avoiding.
The call you need to make. The work you need to publish. The idea you need to pitch. The conversation you need to have.
So I’m planning to start each day with a question:
What is the one thing I need to do today—not just to feel productive, but to make progress?
The laundry will still get done. The emails will eventually be answered. The small, urgent things will always be handled.
But I’m trying not to let them take up all the space meant for the work that matters.
I may still end the day tired. I just want to know I did one thing that could change what happens next.
TODAY’S PICKS
THE FEATURE
What's Left When the Mission Ends.
An account of two decades leading health projects in conflict zones, and what she had to rebuild once the work disappeared.
The Gel Breakup.
Ten+ years of salon gel manicures. This week I did my own nails for the first time, glass file, cuticle oil, a kit instead of an appointment.
THE REFLECTION
Losing My Friends.
A decade of dinner parties, a marriage that ended, and the friendships she was sure wouldn't survive it.
THE WILDCARD
Lukewarm: Who Is Luke, and How Warm Is He?
Half warm, half something else. A short dig into the syllable that gives lukewarm its name, and whether it has anything to do with anyone named Luke.
If you know someone who'd love this, send it to them.
That's the whole ask.
There's something in it for you too.
Details below.
My answer:
When I was younger, I don't think I trusted anyone enough to actually know if they were a true friend. In my 50s, I don't have to guess anymore. Some friendships have been tested. The results are in.
