Here are my thoughts on having a more focused and productive day. You know how it goes - we all want to get more done, stay on track, and feel good about our progress. I've spent much time studying Stoicism and testing different approaches in my life, trying to figure out what works versus what sounds good.

I've found that it's not about complicated systems or the latest productivity apps. The principles I've learned come from ancient wisdom - which is pretty incredible when you think about how Stoic practices can boost productivity in our modern world. These aren't just theories - battle-tested approaches have helped me stay focused and effective, even when things get crazy.

Let me share what I've learned about starting strong and staying on track. These five practices have made a real difference in my life and can help you, too.

1. Start Your Day with Purpose

First and foremost, the number one thing you can do to start your day well and have more focus and productivity is to commit yourself the night before. It's about starting your day with a real purpose instead of letting it happen to you.

But the super important thing is not to set yourself up for failure. I'm not talking about dramatic changes like waking up two hours earlier. That's just setting yourself up to fail. Instead, start small. It could be 10 minutes earlier. It could be 20 minutes. The point isn't to make some considerable change overnight - it's to make a promise to yourself that you can keep.

Here's why this matters so much: that first win of the day, following through on your commitment, builds momentum like nothing else. It's your first victory. When you make a commitment - whether it's getting up early to meditate, doing five pushups, writing in your journal, whatever it might be - and you follow through, you're proving to yourself that you can keep your word.

Don't hit snooze. Don't fail right out of the gate. Make a realistic goal and achieve it. The specific action doesn't matter as much as the fact that you're starting your day on purpose, making a commitment, and staying true to it. This builds something compelling - it builds honor in yourself, showing that you can maintain your word and your commitments.

Think about it - how different does your day feel when you start by breaking a promise to yourself versus starting with a win? That early victory sets the tone for everything that follows. When you begin your day by honoring your commitments, you build a foundation of trust in yourself that carries through to everything else you do.

2. Focus on What You Can Control

Next, pause and remember that my thoughts, actions, and responses are the only things in my control. Throughout the day, we heard a lot of talk about circles of influence and concern—you know, I might be concerned about things happening on the other side of the world, but they're beyond my influence. My neighbors are within my influence, my direct reports are within my influence, and maybe my boss is. But those are still not my circle of control.

Research shows that focusing on what we can control reduces stress and improves performance. Here's what I mean: Even with things I can influence, I don't have direct control over them. I have to pause throughout the day and remember that the only things I can truly control are my thoughts, actions, and responses. By managing these well, I might be of influence, but even my circle of influence is still not my circle of control.

So, as troubles come at me, as things pile up on top of me, and as the day's demands come through, I need to pause and ask myself: "What is my response to this going to be? What are my thoughts on this, and what will my action be? Am I going to ignore it? Am I going to take action? And what is that action going to be?"

To another extent, I need to think about how those actions align with my values, my goals, and where I'm going in life. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the day-to-day rat race. That's why, from time to time, it's necessary for me to pause and focus on what I can actually control. This isn't about ignoring everything else—it's about being smart with where I put my energy and attention.

When you get clear about what's actually in your control, it helps cut through all the noise and keeps you moving forward on the things that matter. Everything else? Well, that's just a distraction that can eat up your day if you let it.

3. Turn Obstacles into Growth Opportunities

As my day progresses, I need to look at all those hurdles that come my way, all those obstacles, all those things I don't want to do - and embrace them. I need to realize that I'm on a journey. I'm on a path of growth; no growth ever comes from doing the comfortable thing. No growth ever comes from doing the easy thing over and over again.

Think about going to the gym. If I continually go to the gym and pick up the five-pound weight, I will get good at picking up five-pound weights. But it's not until I challenge myself to pick up the ten-pound weight, the fifteen, the twenty, the twenty-five-pound weight that I can grow in strength that I can grow and become better.

It's not just running the mile—it's running those five extra steps after the mile. It's doing that next hard thing. It's stressing myself out, growing, and being willing to go just one step further so I can grow because it's through that obstacle, through that challenge, through being willing to put myself out there, trying, sometimes failing, but picking myself up and trying again, that I get to grow.

And frankly, I don't know about anybody else, but I want my days tomorrow to be better than my days today. Not that my days today are bad, but I am in this race to be better. I'm in this life to be better, to help people, to be a better person, and the only way I can do that is through discomfort, through growth, through challenges.

So, I need to look at those obstacles in my day and not get frustrated but realize that these are opportunities for me to grow and embrace them. Each challenge is like adding another weight to the bar—it might feel heavy now, but that's exactly how we build strength, capability, and resilience.

I must do the hard thing today if I want a better tomorrow. There's no shortcut, no easy path. Every obstacle is a chance to prove that you can handle more than you thought, learn more than you knew, and become more than you were yesterday.

4. Do the Hardest Thing First

The next thing I have to look at doing as I go through my day is tackling the hardest things first, and I've got to tell you - this is my biggest obstacle. A lot of times, it's not necessarily the hardest thing but the scariest thing. I must look at those things and realize fear is often just an illusion. It's often just resistance to my psychology, resistance to my body wanting to grow.

It takes me a moment to realize that the suffering I'm feeling is only in my mind—it's only my imagination. Looking at that hard thing, that scary thing, right at the beginning of the day can feel overwhelming. But here's what my old journalism professor used to tell me: "Stories are never actually done—the deadline just comes, and you have to turn them in." That stuck with me because it's true about everything we face.

You know what? It's like all those tasks we must do today - look at that hardest one and realize you don't have to be perfect out of the gate. You have to make an effort. You just have to take a step. Just take that step, and you can polish it up as you go. You don't have to have the perfect plan. You can adjust as you go.

As you go through your day, the most important thing is looking backward and saying, "I did the hardest thing. I took action on it. I took steps." That's a great win, a fantastic growth mentality, and a great way to position yourself for future wins later in the day.

When I face that fear and look at that scary task first thing in the morning, I must remind myself that the fear isn't real. The obstacle isn't as big as my mind is making it out to be. The only way past it is through it. Like those stories I had to turn in during journalism school - they weren't perfect, but they got done. And each time I faced that deadline and turned something in, I got better at managing the fear and taking action despite the uncertainty.

This practice isn't about being perfect - it's about being willing to start. It's about facing that scary thing head-on instead of letting it loom over you all day. Because here's the truth: that task isn't going to get any less scary by putting it off. But you can get stronger by tackling it now.

5. Take Breaks to Stay Sharp

And then last but not least, you have to take breaks. You must take breaks and do what Stephen Covey says - sharpen the saw. Make yourself better for tomorrow. Make yourself better for later today.

Think about it: what happens if we spend all day chopping down a tree with a saw and never take the time to sharpen that saw? Over time, that saw gets dull, and it's no longer better at chopping down trees. The same thing happens with us. If we spend our entire time managing and never take a break from that, then sooner or later, we're going to get dull. We're going to lose our edge, and we're not going to be great managers anymore. We're not going to be great producers anymore, we're not going to be great salespeople, we're not going to be great engineers.

Whatever our role in life is—husbands, wives, parents—if we don't take a break and sharpen that saw, we're going to be ineffective at what we're doing. So, throughout the day, I have to pause. Sometimes, that's through journaling; sometimes, through some quiet meditation; and sometimes, that's from reading something that might not be 100% educational but takes a break from the day.

But here's what I've found really works for me: the act of slowing down my mind to take a pen in hand and write on paper—not typing on a keyboard, not dictating into a phone—actually taking the time to write distraction-free is often enough to settle my mind and get me ready to go into the next task and focus again.

After a meeting, I might write down my thoughts on it. It doesn't have to be profound or perfectly structured. It's about giving my mind space to process, slow down, and reset. You'd be amazed how just five minutes of this intentional break can clear your head and sharpen your focus for what's next.

Think of these breaks not as time wasted but as investments in your effectiveness. Just like you wouldn't expect your phone to run forever without recharging, you can't expect yourself to operate at peak performance without recharging and refocusing. These moments of pause aren't just nice to have - they're essential for maintaining your edge and staying effective in everything you do.

Moving Forward

So here's what it all comes down to: these practices aren't about cramming more tasks into your day or becoming some productivity machine. They're about doing what matters with real intention and purpose. They're about growing stronger while staying focused on what's essential in your life.

The key to making any change stick is to start small. Don't try to implement all five practices at once - that's just setting yourself up for failure. Instead, pick one that speaks to you. It could be making that small commitment the night before about how you'll start your day. It could be taking those intentional breaks to sharpen your saw. Whatever resonates with you, start there.

Try it tomorrow. Not next week, not when things calm down (they never do), but tomorrow. Make one small commitment tonight about how you'll approach your day. Then follow through. That's your first win, and those wins start adding up fast.

I've compiled a detailed guide, "5 Stoic Practices for a More Focused and Productive Day, " which breaks down each practice with specific action steps. It's the same framework I use to stay on track, and I'd love to share it with you.

Download the 5 Stoic Practices Guide

Keep it handy, reference it often, and use it to create focused and productive days. Remember, every journey toward better days starts with that first small step. Take that step with me today.

5 Stoic Practices That Will Transform Your Day