Eric Yim: On the hard days, at least show up

On the hard days, I come back to this: “At the very least, maintain. On the days that you feel like you can't get better, at least show up.” For an independent service business owner, that can mean taking care of one commitment that needs attention today, even when you don't have the capacity to improve everything around it.

By Eric Yim. Published by Protocol Text.

What I mean by “at the very least, maintain”

I talk about trying to get 1% better every single day. But in the same thought, I acknowledge that getting better every day probably isn't possible. That's where maintaining comes in. You need something to aim for on the days when improvement feels out of reach.

For a service business owner, maintaining could mean answering a customer who's waiting on a decision, confirming a commitment, or making sure someone knows a schedule has changed. Those are examples of work that protects what's already in place. They don't require you to solve the whole business.

The useful question is: what needs my attention so I don't leave an avoidable problem for tomorrow? That gives a difficult day a smaller, clearer purpose. You can still care about the bigger goal without making every day a test of how much you can accomplish.

Why protecting what you've built matters

The daily 1% idea is a mathematical illustration of compounding, not a forecast for how a person or business will improve. Energy, learning, and business results don't arrive at a fixed daily rate.

The recovery math also needs to be clear. If $100 falls to $50, that's a 50% loss. Getting from $50 back to $100 takes a 100% gain. The final balance is 200% of the remaining $50, not a 200% gain.

A difficult day isn't a percentage loss, though. I wouldn't use that illustration to keep score against yourself. The practical point is that some things take extra work to repair once they're neglected. A short update today may keep an unanswered question from becoming a longer conversation tomorrow.

Choose one thing that actually needs attention today

I think there's a balance between the big vision and the day-to-day details, the nitty-gritty stuff that needs to get done. Part of that balance is knowing when to move fast and when to slow down. On a hard day, you can narrow the work without throwing away the vision.

Here's an exercise to try. Write down the tasks pulling at your attention. Beside each one, note who is waiting and what happens if it waits until tomorrow. Be concrete. “I feel behind” tells you less than “a customer doesn't know when to expect my reply.”

Then choose the smallest responsible action for the most time-sensitive commitment. Give it a finish line before you start. “Send a clear update about the estimate” has a finish line. “Get better at estimates” could turn into an afternoon of changing a process.

Put the improvement idea somewhere you can return to it. You're deciding what belongs in today's work, rather than asking yourself to stop caring about the rest.

An example: send the update before redesigning the process

Here's an illustrative example, not a client story. Suppose you run an independent service business. You've promised a customer an estimate today, but it needs more review. You're also thinking about rewriting your estimate template and improving your website.

First, check whether you can finish the estimate responsibly. If you can't, the immediate action could be contacting the customer before the promised deadline, explaining that you need more time, and giving a realistic next update. Sending an unfinished estimate just to cross it off the list could create another problem.

For this example, the finish line is sending that update and recording the follow-up. The template and website changes can stay on a separate list. If another urgent obligation needs attention, assess it separately instead of quietly expanding this task.

That's how I'd apply “at least show up” here: do the work the commitment needs, within what you can responsibly manage today.

Frequently asked questions

How do I stop a small task from becoming a bigger project?

Write down what “done” means before opening your tools. For a customer update, that might mean sending the message and noting the next follow-up. If you notice a process problem, record it separately. You can address it later without making it a condition for finishing today's task.

What if several commitments need attention at once?

Look at deadlines, who is waiting, and the consequences of delay. Handle the most time-sensitive responsibility first. If you can't meet another commitment, communicate that rather than leaving the person guessing. If someone else can help, make the handoff specific about the task and timing.

Does showing up mean working when I need rest?

No. Maintaining has to account for your capacity and the safety of the work. Sometimes the responsible action is rescheduling, arranging a handoff, or telling someone you're unavailable. If difficult days keep becoming unmanageable, review the workload and support you need instead of treating each day as a willpower problem.