for the last year or so (maybe longer), i have been working off a simple motto: Do The Work.

i honestly don't know where i got the phrase Do The Work from. according to a quick google, Do The Work is the title of a few different books on both creativity and anti-racism, so i probably picked it up from those disciplines.

however, it has grown into an all-purpose motto that has drastically improved my life. a reminder from myself or my partner to Do The Work immediately grounds & focuses me from my normal overwhelm, clearing the path to my next action.

it might seem like magic, and sometimes i think it is, but i think i can explain what it means to me in a way that might benefit others. ymmv, obviously– but i think i have something here that can really be beneficial to people who struggle in the same ways i do.

note: i deliberated over this post, trying to figure out the best way to say how much this simple motto has helped me WITHOUT being prescriptive or making anyone feel like they have to like, constantly think about Doing The Work. as always, do what works FOR YOU and feel free to personalize the shit out of everything i recommend!

what does it mean to Do The Work?

Do The Work is one step, taken in the next five minutes, to improve life for your past/present/future self, other people around you, and humanity as a whole (in that order of priority).

here are some examples:

• getting up to pee even though you are cozy in bed.

• wiping up milk you spilled on the counter instead of leaving it for someone else to deal with.

• doing a quick load of dishes.

• opening mail that looks important immediately.

• telling a stranger on the sidewalk that they dropped something.

Doing The Work does not always feel fun in the moment, but even as someone who struggles a LOT with having any sense of intrinsic reward, i genuinely feel good knowing that i did the best thing i could, according to my own judgement, multiple times throughout my day.

also important: Doing The Work adds up. 1% improvements compound. have a net good effect on yourself and the world by Doing The Work.

who could benefit from Do The Work?

if you're like me, you may:

• find it hard to make decisions, especially the small ones!

• struggle with overwhelm and/or cosmic, existential hopelessness. (i feel overwhelmed almost 100% of the time, and it seriously impacts my functionality and mood!)

• procrastinate, even on stuff that will take under 30 seconds.

if you are like me and you step over the same damn shirt on the floor over and over again without picking it up, even though it's bothering you, you might benefit from Doing The Work.

how to implement it: what does Do The Work mean in this moment?

often, the reminder to Do The Work turns off my natural propensity to overwhelm and deliberation and instantly reveals to me what i should be doing. The Work is bite-sized. it is ONE next step.

however, because you obviously don't live in my brain, your sense of Doing The Work might need some tuning and personalizing. you probably weren't born with a sense of what's best for you and others, because i sure wasn't!

some considerations on how to Do The Work:

• your Do The Work event horizon is about five minutes. it doesn't have to be a strict time limit (sometimes Doing The Work will take a little longer!) but it should be something you can achieve in the very very short-term.

• it is ONE step. once again, this is not strict– making dinner for yourself when you would rather eat a handful of chips, or sitting down to write your essay before the due date, is actually multiple steps, but it's one next-step decision.

• start by getting in the (gentle!) habit of scanning your brain, body, and environment (quickly!) for the most glaring, most solvable problem. then take ONE step to solve it.

• Doing The Work should not take an immense amount of forethought, moral assessment, effort, or emotional labor. if you're feeling like it does, you need to get more bite-sized!

• heroic pushes are not part of Doing The Work. in fact, Do The Work is a reminder to put in relatively consistent effort– ebbs and flows in effort are natural, but extremes are antithetical to Do The Work.

• it can involve mastery and stretching yourself, but the reasonable kind. for example, doing your job well is Doing The Work, but driving yourself to burnout out is not.

• Do The Work is fundamentally about kindness– mostly to oneself– and mindfulness. it is about gently narrowing your lens to what you can reasonably affect, and then taking one step toward a better future.

when should Do The Work be implemented?

you are not beholden to be Doing The Work in every single moment. nobody could achieve that, nor should they. i am definitely not trying to make you feel like you have ANOTHER thing to be worrying about. it's just a (to me, particularly effective) method of problem-solving.

furthermore, we obviously need to be thinking in the big picture/long term sometimes.

instead of Doing The Work all the time, i have some triggers for when i know i need to Do The Work. it is helpful especially when:

• i feel like i need to do a heroic effort to get anything done.

• i feel like i need to be perfect forever.

• i feel ashamed of myself and my accomplishments.

• i am trying to be constructive but i can't make a decision about how.

• i am slipping into feeling like my internal sense of effort/struggle/emotional labor IS my worth.

• i want to ignore/avoid something (because of hopelessness, learned helplessness, PDA, or overwhelm).

are you doing it right?

if you're Doing The Work in the way i do, it might feel immensely comforting, grounding, and focusing. you might suffer less, and even if that's just a little bit of improvement, it matters.

however: if this framework doesn't work for you, PLEASE abandon it. if this is increasing your anxiety, burning you out, or draining your spoons, throw it in the trash.

feel free to comment below with your thoughts!