Your Best Will Look Different Every Day

One of the most common phrases I hear is “Do your best.” In many cases, this is meant to encourage, as in, “You don’t have to be perfect, just give it a valid effort.” Other times, this phrase suggests high expectations, such as “I expect you to perform at a very high level.” Either way, the definition of ‘best’s can be murky. In reality, doing your best will look different every day.

Productivity is a worthwhile pursuit. It feels good to work the list, check off the boxes, meet (or even exceed) expectations, and get things done. At the same time, productivity doesn’t always look like our best. Let’s consider this adjective “best.”

Doing Your Best is Not…

First, let’s exclude what it ‘doing your best’s is not.

Best is not functioning at peak performance, 24/7.

Nobody can perform at their peak all the time. You can’t put forth 100% effort nonstop through the day. Why not? Because human beings are complex systems. We have feelings, get sick, battle distraction, get hungry, need breaks, encounter emergencies, and contend with other countless demands. In addition, we operate within environments where things like daylight, temperature, noise, and privacy are always shifting.

We are not machines and won’t perpetually perform at our peak. That’s not to say others don’t desire it from us, only to honestly state it isn’t possible. Human performance naturally surges and dips.

Best is not being perfect at everything you do.

Some tasks come naturally, while others require more effort. You won’t excel at everything you do. Yes, you can (and should) use tools and practice skills to gain competence. Still, there will be things you never quite master. This is normal.

Similarly, whenever you undertake something new, it will take time to come up to speed. You may make mistakes or take longer than others with more experience. Doing your best on day one will probably look very different from doing your best on day 1,000.

Best is not exhausting yourself.

People have bodies that need proper fuel, hydration, and rest to be able to perform. There may be seasons when you are able to reliably access these required inputs. There will probably be days or periods when at least one of these is in short supply.

Pushing yourself to perform when you are depleted may be necessary, but it won’t produce your best work. That’s okay. Sometimes all you can do is meet the minimum demand and then focus on sleep and restoration. Pushing harder than is wise will eventually backfire.

Best is not shaming yourself when you fall short.

Everyone wants to do well, but there will be times when you simply don’t. It’s always a good idea to learn from such experiences so you can do better next time. In contrast, wallowing in guilt or self-recrimination will likely hinder future progress.

Comparison, negative self-talk, catastrophizing, and quitting will all undermine your ability to show up and contribute. These behaviors exacerbate a negative situation rather than helping you move forward.

Best is not always putting the needs of others above your own.

You may care for and/or serve other people. When this is the situation, it can be hard to clearly see what is “best” and what is too much. Sacrificing a bit here and there for the benefit of another is loving–and sometimes necessary. At the same time, it is possible to lose perspective and end up giving more than you should.

Additionally, employers and superiors often lack insight into our personal situation. They may not be aware that their demands or requests are coming at a high personal cost to you. Admittedly, they might not care. However, you cannot consistently give your best under these conditions. All you can do is try to communicate your reality and then make wise decisions based on their reaction.

Doing Your Best Is…

Now that we’ve considered what doing your best is not, let’s turn to what doing your best is.

1. Knowing Your Capacity

Taking a “whole person” perspective.

Every task you have represents one piece of your day. Some tasks maybe feel very important; others less so. Often, there is more on the plate than we can manage with excellence. Doing your best in one area may mean accepting a lesser effort in another.

When approaching a task, it is worthwhile to ask yourself, “How important is this in the grand scheme of my day?” Only you are fully aware of the demands on your time and their relative importance. Therefore, only you can make choices that will best allocate your time, energy, and attention. You are ultimately responsible for choosing how you will allocate your limited resources. 

Yes, you can improve your overall output by increasing your efficiency, but even this does have a limit.

Showing up.

Some days you will feel ready and able to give 100% effort. Others, you may be operating at 40% or 50% capacity due to fatigue, stress, illness, etc. Doing your best doesn’t mean producing your maximum possible output. It means making the best use of what you have available today.

On a great day, that might mean giving 100% of your capacity. On a difficult day, your capacity might be 50%. If you give everything you reasonably can from that 50%, you are still doing your best.

The standard doesn’t have to remain fixed when circumstances change. Your effort can be 100% even when your capacity isn’t.

2. Knowing What Matters

Setting and sticking with priorities.

You can’t consistently do your best if you haven’t decided what matters most. Part of this is setting priorities, which means deciding what is most important. What truly needs your attention today? If you can only do one or two things, which ones will they be?

Once you set priorities, the second (and sometimes harder) part is addressing your tasks according to the priority order you have established. There is little value to saying something is important if your time, energy, and effort do not reflect that priority.

Focusing on the task at hand.

If you want to do your best, you most likely need to be both physically and mentally present. Life’s many pressures can distract us and draw our attention away from the task at hand. While this is understandable, it is very detrimental to strong performance.

It is better to give a focused 30 minutes than a distracted or disinterested two hours.

3. Preparing and controlling what you can

Controlling the controllables.

Many factors affect our ability to do our best. Only some of these are within our control.

For example, we can’t control when we get a flat tire or a dead battery, but we can control where we place our car key. We can’t control whether the internet goes down, but we can control whether our devices are charged. We can’t control traffic, but we can leave ourselves extra time to account for it.

Preparing for possible problems give us a hedge against them. A useful rule of thumb is: ‘If you can do it now, do it now.’

Arriving on time and prepared.

Few things communicate a lack of preparation more clearly than a pattern of arriving late or unprepared. Of course, this will periodically happen, but when such behavior becomes a pattern, you aren’t doing your best.

“When you show up on time and ready to perform, you demonstrate respect and reliability—both signs of a strong effort.”If you want to be on time and ready, do things like:

• Setting up your staging area before you go to bed.
• Deciding today what you will wear tomorrow.
• Deciding today what you will eat tomorrow and preparing what you can in advance. For example, fill your coffee pot so all you have to do is push the button.
• Building in margin between appointments, especially those which require you to change locations.
• Not assuming someone else will have the tools you need.  
• Having backup supplies on hand, such as charging cords, battery backups, and extras of your commonly used materials. For instance, I always carry extra label tape and batteries for my label maker.

4. Being responsible for your contribution

Being a person of your word.

It’s tempting to respond positively whenever you are asked to do something. However, when you agree to a commitment, and then can’t (or won’t) follow through, you undermine your own reliability.

When you give your word, make sure you mean it. It’s better to say “no” or “I honestly don’t know how to do that” than to misrepresent your commitment or abilities simply to avoid conflict. If you don’t mean it, don’t say it.

Communicating well with relevant parties to manage expectations.

If you want to do your best, prioritize communication. In spite of our many tools for available to us these days, we seem to be worse at this important task than ever. Never assume that others know what is going on. More often than not, they don’t.

To do your best, use the communication tool that will be quickest and clearest. Sometimes this will mean face to face, other times email, other times a text. To the extent that it is within your power, communicate clearly and proactively.

Of course, this doesn’t mean others will listen. In some cases, your best efforts at communicating will go unnoticed. However, their failure to listen is not something you can control. Document and retain communications as backup should a question arise.

Avoiding unproductive complaining.

Few things undermine your ability to do your best as much as chronic complaining. Chronic complaining can become a form of rehearsing and replaying negative thoughts, which can leave us feeling powerless.

Instead, when you feel the temptation to complain, do everything you can to reset your thoughts. This may mean avoiding people who tend to pull you into complaining or intentionally refocusing your attention to something positive (the view out the window, the taste of your coffee, something you are thankful for today, etc.).

You may not be able to change a rough situation, but refusing to wallow can help you do the best you can in spite of it. It will also help you recognize alternatives and move in a more positive direction.

*     *     *

Doing your best isn’t about being at your best every day. It’s about being honest about what you have available, deciding what matters most, and using your time, energy, and attention wisely.

Some days, your best will look impressive. Other days, it may simply mean getting through what needs to get done without making things worse. Both can be your best.

Your circumstances may change. Your capacity may change. Your priorities may change. Your best will change with them.

The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is to show up, work with what you’ve got, and make the wisest choices you can.

How do you define ‘doing your best’s?