This is Optimal Living Daily, The Magic of Early Morning by J. and Heather Harrington of

Life and Wim.com, and I'm Justa Mollick. I'm going to jump right into today's article and my commentary

right after as we optimize your life.

The Magic of Early Morning by J. and Heather Harrington of Life and Wim.com

Toward the end of August, I became fed up. Months before, I had set an ambitious goal for myself

to write my second book, but I had made little progress toward achieving it. The desire was strong,

but the execution was non-existent.

I had worked out the strategy of how I would accomplish the goal, in other words, I knew what I had

to do, but I had not figured out the structure that would enable me to move forward. So I did nothing.

Every day after getting the kids off to school or to camp, I'd create my daily to-do list

and it would always include a line item indicating the importance of making progress toward my goal.

And each day the line item would remain undisturbed, free of any checkmarks or strike-throughs.

Sound familiar?

I think everyone has a big objective that they want to accomplish that sits at the forefront,

or at least the subconscious, of their mind. For some, it's starting a new business or

freelance side hustle. For others, it's a new skill, such as playing an instrument or learning a new

language. It's something that requires practice, deep concentration, undivided attention,

and blocks of time to tackle.

The problem is, for most of us, all of these things are in short supply. For those with kids,

days often start at a sprint, with teeth to be brushed, breakfast to be prepared, and lunches to be packed. After getting the kids off to school, it's time to get to work, or begin

running errands or other household tasks. After school, a similarly busy process ensues, and by the time

the day winds down, the prospect of diving into a new, high-concentration task seems impossible.

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