18d • Journal Entries
Looking Forward Isn’t About Escaping Work, It’s About Designing Days You Actually Want to Live
The 10 Looking Forward Commandments
As I think we all do when the sun comes up and our minds awaken, we find ourselves thinking about the things that need to be done that day. We know that as working people, we have a list of tasks to get through because we’re usually deep into obligations with other people who are relying upon us. People count on our skills. They count on us to complete things that, at the end of the day, pay the bills.
But I think this way of interpreting life can be driven at a different level.
What I mean is this: what if you were actually looking forward to today? I like to think of it as a permanent adventure. Not a permanent vacation. That’s the cop-out, isn’t it? But what if you had a list of things that felt like a conveyor belt of opportunities? Where you’d be in a permanent state of fun and adventure, every single day?
I thought about this when I got up this morning. My first instinct was, Yeah, I have a lot of things to do today. Client meetings. Client deliverables. A list of things I probably haven’t even thought of yet that would fill an 8½-by-11 sheet of ticked off items. They never seem to end.
But as I was meandering in my mind, a thought took shape. What if I could construct a day so that I’d wake up knowing I had planned it around the theory that I’d be primed to look forward to it instead of dreading the to-do list? What if my list included the top 10 things I actually wanted to do during the day?
Of course, I’m not being a Pollyanna here. I know there will be challenges with client work and disruptions and who knows what. But if I could get these 10 things in my mind first and say, Hey, I’m going to be doing these 10 things today, and then try to score my day based on how many I got done. Make it like a game I’d look forward to playing.
I’m calling it The 10 Commandments Game: Thou shalt try to have an eventful day. The Looking Forward Model. Think about these first, before any to-do list.
So here’s what I came up with:
The 10 Looking Forward Commandments
1. Run
I actually like to run. It clears my mind and it’s a chance to start the day with some challenge, trying to keep my pace up. I know it’s not the most pleasurable thing in the world, but if you do it long enough, you sort of get used to it and look forward to it. It’s that time when no one can really bother you. You’re just competing against yourself, which is kind of fun because you can push yourself and you end up being stronger than you think.
2. Swing Trade the Market
I’m always looking for good setups in the market. Decent profitability, not a lot of risk, but enough to keep me interested. It’s a great learning tool for understanding the psychology of the market. I’ve got to learn more about it and I’m fascinated by the symmetry and mathematics involved with fractals. How everything seems to correlate not necessarily to sentiment or momentum, but to technically specific economic patterns. I went to school for this, by the way.
3. Write
I love to write. Over time, it’s become like a friend to me. I sometimes write twice a day. In fact, I’m writing right now.
4. Play Guitar and Sing
It’s just one of those things, especially when you’re creating new material and it’s going into production. It’s incredibly rewarding to hear what you’re doing being listened to somewhere in Poland at 3 o’clock in the morning. I still can’t believe there are 500 streams of our music every day being played around the world.
5. Have Good Conversations with Smart People
It doesn’t have to be a lot of people. Just one is fine. A real discussion to get ahead. Not one-sided either, it’s both sides contributing, which is rewarding in its own way. Smart conversations are incredibly important because they make you feel like you’re making progress.
6. Learn New Things
I like to stay ahead of the trends. Especially now, it’s time to figure out how to use AI in more ways than one. I’m trying to reposition my workload into automations and sequences so I can be more efficient. It’s pretty cool because there’s a lot going on right now.
7. Hit the Gym
Especially when it’s not crazy busy. If I can get in a workout and a good 30 minute sprint of activity, it keeps me feeling like I’ve got vitality. Stretching out and getting good blood flowing. It avoids getting hurt and keeps the body right.
8. Speak with Friends
As we get older, we tend to drift apart. I can remember dozens of friends I had when I was young and they’re all gone and nobody knows where anybody is anymore. I think it’s important to have companionship going through life. Planning things together. Having shared experiences. It’s so important to avoid these missed opportunities for relationship activities.
9. Get to Bed Early
End of story. This is my favorite thing at the end of the night. If I can get in bed between 9:30 and 10, hold hands with my wife as we read our books, it’s the most comfortable thing in the world. It’s like sitting on a cloud and saying the day is complete. I get to read my book. It’s literally the part of the day where I feel like I’m on vacation.
10. Make Video Content and Tell Stories
This was the one I almost forgot, but I think it’s kind of important. I’ve been doing short stories and now I want to do more long form as well. It’s not just for the business, to keep storytelling going with our customer successes, but to talk about what I’m learning and show what I’m doing. I wrote a post not too long ago about how it’s not just about talking, it’s about doing. We need to show what we’re doing because there are lots of cool things happening that need to get out there.
So those are my 10 Looking Forward Commandments. I want to reframe everything my life is about around this idea. If I can say, Yeah, I’m looking forward to today because I’ve got these 10 things. Things that aren’t necessarily tasks. Just things I want to do. Of course there will still be the usual busy interruptions, and I might not get to all of them. But at least I have a plan now.
At least I have a reason to look forward to today.
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Looking Forward Isn’t About Escaping Work, It’s About Designing Days You Actually Want to Live
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