Either you run the day or the day runs you: Jim Rohn’s quote, “Either you run the day or the day runs you,” encapsulates a powerful principle: take control of your time and lead your day. However, we often find ourselves merely going through the motions, responding to demands without truly directing our actions. Let’s explore the implications of this quote and how we can apply its wisdom to our lives.
Although we may never be able to follow this quote to the letter, I like the principle of this quote. The main point for me is that when the day runs us, we get busy and lose track of things. This is exactly how the most important things in our life take a backseat. Because we are so busy responding to the demands of the day, we don’t have time to do what’s important for us.
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Either you run the day or the day runs you
This is a good example of the day running us – responding to the demands of the day, being constantly busy – hopping from one thing to another without getting the satisfaction of achieving something. If you resonate with any of these, you’re already sucked into the trap of the day running you. I am sure that there will be no perfect plan. But at least when you are in charge, there is a chance that some more things get done mindfully. We can easily be lost in the flow of the day and forget the most important or the strategic things that bring us most value. This quote aims to remind us what’s most important and focus on that.
This quote is all about control and taking charge of the day. Now, I admit that we will never be in control of the day and there will be unexpected things that will surprise us. However, if we don’t have a plan for the things that we want to do – there’s very little hope for them to be done. If even the things that are important to us don’t have a plan, then indicates a danger doesn’t it? We have to carve out time for what’s important for us – that’s what time management is all about.
When the day runs you
When the day runs you – you are simply a responder for what’s happening. You become agile and responsive that leads to the constant nagging sense that you have no idea what’s going on. You don’t feel in control. Instead, something or someone keeps pushing you forward for what they want. Very soon, the day becomes boring and meaningless because none of these things matter to you.
If you want the day to account for something, it will need to have things that are important for you. Sure, the day can run you, but it won’t be a sustainable approach because very soon, life will start feeling pointless and directionless. Hence most of the therapy sessions keep talking about the power of routine.
When the day runs us, we become reactive rather than proactive. We jump from task to task, often feeling busy without achieving meaningful progress. This can lead to the most important aspects of our lives being sidelined. If you resonate with this feeling, you may already be caught in the trap of allowing the day to dictate your actions.
When you run the day
Now, this is a beautiful feeling – to be in charge of your day! It drives some beautiful emotions such as the sense of fulfilment, joy and being in charge of some aspect of your life. Since you are in charge, you can also have some wins during the day that starts making you feel that something has come out of the day. We all associate positive feelings to things that matter to us. And the greatest gift in life is to be able to spend time on things that matter to us.
It is a unique gift and most of us struggle to get this time so that we feel accomplished and complete. If we are not mindful of this time, it will soon fritter away, and we will feel at loss. Hence the quote is nudging us to think and reflect – Either you run the day or the day runs you
Each day is a gift, with the same 24 hours available to everyone. While it’s impossible to avoid all the demands placed on us, taking charge of our time allows us to prioritize what truly matters. Acknowledging that there will never be a perfect plan is essential, but being in control increases the likelihood of accomplishing meaningful tasks mindfully.
Hacks and Tools to run the day
If you agree that you must have a say in how you run the day – there are multiple tools that can be very useful to help you with that. One of the foremost things that comes to mind is a simple Eisenhower matrix that distributes your task list into important and urgent categories.
We start with the premise that we are all very busy people that don’t have enough time during the day. However, this busy is a misnomer because it takes time away from us to do things that are less important only because they are urgent. We can change this by being intentional and purposeful about how we spend this time.
Using the Einsehower Matrix
To effectively run your day, you must first identify what is most important to you. If you don’t know your priorities, you cannot effectively lead your day. Utilizing tools like the Eisenhower Time Management Matrix can help you distinguish between urgent and important tasks, guiding you in allocating your time wisely.
If the day runs us at the cost of our priorities, which are important to us, it indicates that we are focusing on the wrong things. If you don’t know what’s important to you, how will you run the day? The first step to running your day is by identifying the most important things for you. The best way to do this is through the Eisenhower time management matrix which gives a pictorial representation of busy vs important demands on your time.
Once we identify these things, the next step is to create time for doing them. Don’t let the unconscious motion of a day take over what’s yours. This time like any other time is a precious one. If you don’t make full use of it, this will serve someone else’s need. Reorient your priorities and figure out a space to run your day by doing things that matter to you.
The day runs you
Now this is the less useful scenario where the demands of the day take over you. And whether we agree or not, there are numerous occasions where this happens and we lose track of the day. I recall the number of times where we reflect – where has the time gone. Time is elusive that way – it makes us think there’s a lot to do the things that we want to. This is the time where the urgent things take over our life over the important things.
I know I go on talking about this – but this is because it is so important. We tend to think that some of the important things can wait. But that’s a lie that we tell ourselves to procrastinate. If we want to take control and seize the day, we have to tackle this habit of procrastination. Time is in the now and the present moment. Unless we take charge, it will make us to the things that demand our attention. They are not always the most important ones.
Tackling Procrastination
If we want to take control of our time, we must confront the habit of procrastination. Time exists in the present moment; unless we actively take charge, we risk being led by tasks that demand our attention but may not be the most important. Recognizing this pattern is the first step toward reclaiming control over our day.
Either you run the day or the day runs you
Jim Rohn
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Very true Abhijit, it does get overwhelming at times to sort these priorities, especially when there are so many of them. I personally find a To DO list very compelling. Recently I have come across a software called Trello which enables you to manage these TO DO lists better and prioritise them based on needs. It is a freeware which I have found quite sensible to help with the thought process. Sort of goes back to the idea of Eisenhower matrix for time management.
As always a pleasure to converse with you.
It is very important to plan and prioritise works on a day. If we do this, we may have a satisfaction at the end of the day that we have accomplished something.