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The Minimalists
The Minimalists are Emmy-nominated Netflix stars and New York Times–bestselling authors Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Alongside their podcast cohost, T.K. Coleman, this simple-living trio helps millions of people eliminate clutter and live meaningfully with less. Learn More.

Someday

Let’s go analog for a moment: grab a pen and a piece of paper, and then write down a handful of meaningful things you’ve been intending to do. Label this list “Someday”:

Declutter your home?
Read a classic novel?
Take a road trip?
Get into shape?
Join a yoga class?
Learn how to meditate?
Start a new business?
Play an instrument?
Contribute to your community?
Fall in love?

Now, on the back of that same sheet of paper, list every action that has occupied your last 24 hours. Label this list “Today”:

Shopping.
Busywork.
Attending meetings.
Checking email.
Perusing social media.
Sitting in traffic.
Working late again.
Hitting the snooze button.
Thumbing through useless apps.
Staring passively at a glowing screen.

Sure, many of the items on this second list are necessary, or even urgent. But just because something is urgent doesn’t mean it’s worthwhile; in fact, misguided urgency is often the enemy of progress.

For most of us, someday is the single most dangerous word we utter: it grants us the illusion of future possibility without having to focus on that which is important today. Just imagine, though, how different your life would be if your lists switched titles: what if you flipped the page and made someday happen today? Or worse, what if you wait? Years from now you might be sitting around pining for someday to arrive someday.