Make the Most of Your Day: Life Is Short—Fix One Small Thing You’ve Been Avoiding

There’s a drawer that won’t close right. An email you haven’t answered. A broken object, a loose button, a little task that’s been waiting. These things seem small—but they drain you, quietly. Every time you pass them, you feel the weight of unfinished.

If you want to make the most of your day, pick one small thing you’ve been avoiding—and fix it. Not because it’s urgent. But because your peace matters more than your excuses.

1. Avoidance grows the problem.

Tim Ferriss, productivity expert, said:

“If you win the morning, you win the day.”

~Tim Ferriss

Start with something small. Something you’ve postponed. One win leads to another. Momentum begins with action.

2. The unfinished steals mental space.

David Allen, creator of Getting Things Done, wrote:

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

~David Allen

When you finish the small thing, you free up room in your head—and energy in your life.

3. Completion is a form of self-respect.

Brené Brown said it best:

“Unused creativity is not benign. It metastasizes. It turns into grief, rage, judgment.”

~Brené Brown

Leaving things broken and undone builds quiet guilt. Fixing something, however small, is a way of restoring yourself.

4. You don’t have to finish everything—just begin.

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, shared:

“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”

~James Clear

Fixing that one thing today is a vote for a more intentional, cared-for life.

5. Small repairs create big relief.

William Morris, designer and philosopher, wrote:

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

~William Morris

Make your space—internal or external—lighter today. Restore one thing. It will restore a piece of you, too.

A Final Reflection

Pick something small that’s been bothering you. Something broken, messy, or forgotten. Fix it. Today. Not for praise, not for perfection—but to take back a little bit of control, clarity, and care. Life is short. Make space in it by finishing what’s been quietly holding you back.