Even if all you’re doing today is hanging up four sad socks (like this photo, taken in China) cleaning up the mess, sweeping the floor (again), changing diapers or flipping burgers, do the small things well.

That goes for your writing, too. Write fast and hard. Set your egg timer and force yourself to sit at your desk for however many minutes you think you can take and write. Do not check your email or your FB page. Just write.

If you have to give a card for a birthday, anniversary or graduation, write it yourself. Don’t let someone else do it for you. And write it well.

If you have to write a grocery list, do it creatively. Make it funny for someone you love. Make it funny for yourself.

Do the small things well. Do the small things of today as well as you can. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Just do everything you can today as well as you can and soon you’ll have a string of perfectly fine days.

I was watching this guy weighing his tea leaves in a small village in China, just waiting for the ash to fall into the tea leaves. How not to do a small thing.

Positive acts—whatever they are—build self-esteem. We grow with a job well done.

Just for today, do the small things well.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said it best:

Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night’s repose.

Some uplifting, inspiring, kick-in-your-knickers quotes to get your wheels rolling while you write can be found here.