What if I didn't get everything (anything) done?

I often feel like the only way I can stay on top of everything is to operate at 100% capacity, all the time, at maximum efficiency. And still, this post is coming to you two days late.

This morning I watched a video of the Guinness World Record holder solving three Rubik’s cubes while juggling them (clearly I’m not operating at maximum efficiency). It felt like an oddly relatable activity—I’m frantically juggling all my work and life responsibilities, trying to solve them all at once, as fast as I can, without breaking my stride.

Unlike the controlled environment of a juggling competition, life doesn’t come with a predictable set of rules. There are the everyday curveballs—like the migraine that wipes out an entire workday, the broken toe that makes even basic errands a struggle, the delayed train that turns a simple commute into a two-hour ordeal (yes, I’ve had all of these this month). And then there are the bigger upheavals—job losses, health diagnoses, elections—that can upend our circumstances and sense of self in profound ways.

Of course there are the joyful disruptions too—the ones that pull us away from our routines and to-do lists for the best possible reasons. This weekend, one of my closest friends was visiting, so I put aside everything to spend time with her. Whether it’s catching up with loved ones, taking a much-needed vacation, growing your family, or embarking on a passion project, these moments and choices often matter just as much—if not more—than whatever is on the list of things we “should” do.

And sometimes, there’s no big crisis or minor disruption to point to. We just don’t get things done because we’re humans, not robots. I’ll get to everything on Monday, I told myself on Sunday night. But when Monday came, I slept in. And then I stayed up late watching bad TV (like, NCIS reruns bad—don’t judge me). I’ll be a machine on Tuesday, I promised myself last night. And then today I got up, did an hour of work, watched that juggling-Rubik’s-cube video (plus about 20 other videos fed to me from the algorithm monster), and then went back to sleep because I was overwhelmed by both nothing and everything at the same time.

I’m always telling others that our value isn’t determined by our productivity (I literally made a sticker about it). I really, truly believe this for other people. But a little voice in my head whispers, Oh, but not you. I often feel like I’m falling behind in every area of my life, and my brain helpfully cycles through all the different ways like a game show wheel, constantly spinning and landing on a new reason to feel inadequate each time:

Do I know that life is unpredictable? Intimately.

Was spending time with my friend an intentional and joyful choice? Absolutely.

Do I understand that I’m a person, not a machine, and I don’t need to be stretched to my limits to deserve rest? Of course.

And yet, I still feel bad and slightly panicked about everything left unfinished.

So, what if I didn’t get everything (anything) done?

1. There’s a lot going on in the world right now—give yourself some grace.

If you’ve been feeling extra exhausted and distracted, or like even the simplest tasks take more effort than usual, it’s not just you. There’s a lot of uncertainty and a lot of rapid change happening at both the national and global level, and much of it is deeply unsettling (read: dangerous, unjust, and unhinged), with real implications for our safety and freedom. And that’s all before factoring in whatever is happening in our personal lives.

It would be nice if we could switch parts of our brain on and off at will so we can focus on one thing at a time, but it turns out we can’t. We’re not made to be able to easily file away global crises, existential dread, and personal stress into separate compartments and deal with them one by one.

So if you didn’t get to that thing you meant to do today, yesterday, or two weeks ago (or, let’s be real, three months ago), maybe it’s not because you’re lazy or weak or bad at life. Maybe it’s just that being a person who’s paying attention right now is harder than usual. We all deserve a little more grace, for each other and for ourselves.

2. Most things will turn out OK, even if you don’t get them done right away (or at all).

I know I fall into the trap of thinking that everything is urgent and important — that if I don’t do everything perfectly and on time, there will be dire consequences. But, will there? Probably not.

I forgot to reply to an email—they followed up, I apologized for the delay, and the project continued to move forward. I missed a grant deadline—it’s too late for that one, but there will be other grant opportunities. I forgot a friend’s birthday and sent a text instead of a card—pretty sure they don’t think I’m a terrible friend because of it. I didn’t schedule a dental cleaning—it’s overdue, but my teeth will probably survive just fine a few more weeks.

Most things are not as critical or time-sensitive as our anxiety makes them seem. And when something is actually urgent? It has a way of making itself known. Until then, it’s OK to not do everything right away (and sometimes it’s fine to not do them at all).

3. It’s not all or nothing—doing something still counts.

I’m writing this at 1 a.m. on Wednesday. It’s later than I wanted it to be (it was supposed to go out Monday morning), and it’s not as concise or amazing as I’d hoped—but it exists. And that counts for something.

I also didn’t do a full workout video, but I went for a walk. I didn’t go grocery shopping, but I made a simple meal out of what was in the fridge. I didn’t clear out my inbox, but I answered a few emails.

Just because we can’t do everything doesn’t mean we can’t do something. Taking small steps is still important progress. You can read a lot in 15 minutes, even if you wanted an hour. A check-in text instead of a long catch-up call still lets someone know you’re thinking of them.

Slow and unsteady progress is usually how anything gets done.

And because I feel like I need to say it—partly in hopes that one day I’ll truly internalize it for myself—It does not matter what you did or did not do today. You deserve to rest.