It took me more than a year to fully embrace the power of the daily card and the scoring system. Over a year! And I created the damn thing!
During that time, I consistently put work-related stuff in the top slots, with the highest point values. Whether it was stuff related to my day job or stuff related to building The Today System community and resources, I was deep in a rut of putting work stuff at the top of the list. But this was at odds with what was really important to me.
I finally saw that my physical and mental health were suffering at the hands of work, work, work. So I gave them a slot at the top of my card. I prioritized working out regularly and healthier eating habits. I held myself to certain benchmarks each day, and awarded points (or didn’t) accordingly. It helped shift my focus away from tunnel vision on work tasks, and back to a more holistic focus on overall well-being.
I’m not saying that work and personal projects aren’t important. They are. And when they don’t get the attention they need, you feel the weight of them. But those things will never be more important than your physical and mental health. This is not a subjective statement, dependent upon your personal preferences and mood; it’s a fact. If you don’t have your health taken care of, you have nothing–at least not for long.
So unless taking care of your physical and mental health is already automatic for you, it deserves a top slot on your card. Your points each day should reflect what’s most important to you. And if you’re not as healthy as you should be, there’s truly nothing more important. The daily score is powerful. Use that power to build a better life–and start today.
