I don’t have a long and detailed story of how I came to start using the Today System. I was in the office supply aisle at the grocery store on a day where I was just trying to motivate myself to get important things done. I saw the index cards, and bought them. Then I listed out the items I wanted to get done and jotted down a quirky points system to motivate me to tackle the big stuff.
But what I do have is the philosophy behind the card–what’s kept me using it, and I why I think it works. You could call it a manifesto. And I guess I’m okay with that.
Over the next several emails, I’ll be sharing pieces of that manifesto, in hopes that it helps you better understand the system and motivate you to put it to work in your own life.
Today is All You Have.
You can plan to do things tomorrow, or further down the line. And to an extent, you should. But what you can’t do is actually do things tomorrow, or next week for that matter. You can only do things today. Because today is all you have.
Filling out a card each day is a reminder of this. You can certainly refer to yesterday’s card, or to the list of things you’d like to get done at some point soon. But this card in front of you–today’s card–that’s your reminder of what this day could be–scratch that–what it should be.
And that’s a valuable point of clarification. When you fill out your card each day, put on it the things that make today what it should be. That means something different for everyone–as it should. And whatever that means to you, if you list items on the card that represent what today should be for you, you’re much more likely to be motivated to get them done.
Tomorrow will most likely come–though it’s not guaranteed. But you have to get through today first. And the more you can do to make today great, the better tomorrow will probably be. Repeat that process over and over, and you’ve got the recipe for a life you can truly enjoy living.
So take out your card and a pen, and make today great–because right now, it’s all you have.
