You Need to Stop Waiting For Better Times to Do The Thing

The work always gets done

I just got scammed out of an accommodation where I was supposed to "lock in" for a couple of weeks.

I'm writing this in a coffee shop with all my luggage beside me. It's 3 p.m. I'm sweaty and don't smell really good after carrying my stuff here in the heat.

Since I'm without a place to stay in a town that already seemed unfavorable for a good working routine, I'm considering whether to try another accommodation or just cut my financial and productivity losses and buy a plane ticket out of here.

Either way, the solution I choose will be temporary. The future for the next couple of months is as unpredictable as ever. Considering my visa status, it's unlikely I will have a stable routine for more than a couple of weeks.

But this isn't a self-pity rant. Rather, this situation came as a valuable reminder of a message I try to share with people any chance I get: don't wait for "better times" to do what you want or need to do.

You can't wait for perfect conditions. Some work can always be done—with different intensity and not always with the quality you want—but you can always do something.

I talked about this on a call inside the Sisyphus Society last week.

In the last seven months, I haven't had a stretch of time longer than a week with a stable routine. And in the last three years, the longest I went without my routine being disrupted by an internal or external challenge was maybe a bit more than a month. Still, I stayed consistent with my writing and made progress toward my goals. Often clumsy and underwhelming progress, but progress nonetheless.

But I'm not alone in this. It's a shared human experience that life rarely gives you the perfect conditions to do the work you want or need to do. But we tend to forget this. Mostly because the online self-improvement space made it seem like a lifestyle where no one and nothing can disrupt your routine is simply a matter of choice.

Last week, when I was talking about this on the Sisyphus Society call, one of the people listening to me was Ben. A man getting ready to sail the world. However, he currently finds himself on the land with 3 ships, having to fix and sell two of them so he can start his journey. And that's just a fraction of his story. There's a person who's faced emotional, psychological, and logistical challenges that would make most people say, "Life's gotten in my way; I'm going to wait for better times." But he didn't. He still doesn't. Instead, he does what he can, one day at a time.

When I look at Ben, I know we can all show up and do something rather than wait for more favorable winds, pun intended.

But you don't have to be trying to sail the world to find this relatable. While the details of our challenges may vary, the fact that we all face challenges connects us.

I look at

Adam Seeley

, a father and husband who works hard to provide for his family but is still honoring his calling to write. He could easily say he'll write when he's less busy and tired. Unfortunately, that's what most working parents do with their dreams. But he doesn't. When I know he does most of his writing during lunch breaks, I know there's no waiting for perfect conditions.

I look at

Nada W. Kharusi

, a multidisciplinary artist and one of the most inspiring individuals I've met. I've seen her face internal challenges that make most people give up on their creative potential. Like most people, she could've said she'll wait until she's more comfortable and "ready." But she didn't. She kept showing up to do what she could. One small but meaningful action at a time. When I look at Nada, I know there's no waiting to be in the perfect mental, emotional, or spiritual place to honor what is asking to be expressed through you.

If I could look at you (yes, precisely you, reading this), I know I would see the same. A person for whom there is always something preventing that perfect routine from being established. A person who can't afford to disappear for a few months and do the work with zero distractions.

If there is any difference between you and Ben, Adam, or Nada, it's in the fact they're not waiting. They are doing what they can do, despite the circumstances. And that's a gap you can bridge today.

Do what you can and accept that tiny, unglamorous, clumsy, underwhelming progress is still progress.

Don't wait for more favorable conditions because, as you've already seen, there's always something new that could be an excuse to keep waiting.

None of this is advocating for a lack of self-compassion.

None of this suggests you shouldn't try to have a structured routine.

This is an invitation to accept that life happens and our routines get disrupted. It's an invitation to see that the joy of doing what needs to be done isn't on the other side of a routine with no challenges. It's in doing the work that you can, with the circumstances that you have. Because something, something, can always be done.

Thank you for reading.

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