The Cost of “I’ll Do It Tomorrow”

What are you pushing off until 'tomorrow' so that you can take care of everything and everyone today?  The walk. The stretching. A few quiet minutes to yourself...

If you can relate, you may be doing what I've done well for years.  You mean to get to it. But there’s another client, another deadline, another person who needs something.  By evening, you're beat.  And it becomes easy to push out for tomorrow what was not accomplished today.

At some point, the consequences start showing up.

For months, I’ve been dealing with sciatica: pain traveling from my low back, through my hip, and down one leg to my ankle. It has made finding a comfortable sleeping position difficult and getting a good night’s rest even harder.

Pain is exhausting. Pain that interferes with sleep adds another layer.

Sleep supports physical restoration, immune function, learning, memory, and emotional well-being. Without enough quality sleep, concentrating, making decisions, and managing our responses become more difficult. 

As I looked honestly at how I was spending my days, I realized that something so fundamental had become difficult.

Knowing better still requires doing

As a wellness educator, life coach, and business strategist, I spend much of my workday on Zoom, teaching and coaching. I love helping people create more meaningful, sustainable lives and businesses.

Much of that work happens while I’m sitting.

I’ve also always been someone who walks and stays active. But over the last couple of years, life became ‘busy,’ and movement gradually slipped down the priority list.

“I’ll walk tomorrow.”

“I’ll stretch after I finish this.”

“Today got away from me. I’ll get back to it.”

Each decision was small. Together, they became a pattern.  A habit.

My knowledge didn’t exempt me from the very human habit of postponing what supports me while attending to what demands me.  Most of us understand well-being concepts, but that does not automatically get us out of our chair. Inconvenient, but true.

Returning to what supports me

About six or seven weeks ago, I began physical therapy. Alongside that care, I’ve returned to daily walks, stretching, and exercises. Since making movement a regular part of my days again, the sciatica has improved quickly.

Physical therapy has been an important part of my recovery. So has making room to follow through between appointments.   That distinction matters. Attending an appointment is one commitment. Changing how I move through the rest of my week is another.

My biggest lesson has been about the place I give my own well-being in an otherwise full life.   I eat. I brush my teeth. I shower. I take my vitamins. These familiar routines have a place in my day.   Movement deserves one, too.   So do stretching, exercise, and meditation.

There will always be another task.

I can give my walk a place on the calendar and protect it with the same intention I bring to a coaching appointment. I can make time for the exercises that support my recovery. I can include a moment of stillness in the day.

Consistency will require flexibility. Some days will look different from others. A disrupted day doesn’t have to become another month of postponement.

For anyone recognizing themselves here, consider one practice you keep deferring. What would help it become part of your daily routine? A scheduled time? Preparing what you need? An agreement with someone who will join you?

Choose a commitment you can realistically keep, and give it a place today.

I’m grateful for the relief I’m experiencing. I’m also paying attention to the lesson while I can still feel its importance.

What have you been promising yourself you’ll do tomorrow and what is waiting already costing you?