For some people, the expression “You have as many hours in the day as Beyoncé” could be inspiring. For me, it’s anxiety-inducing. Probably because it makes clear that lots of those unfinished to-do’s on my list could get done if I only used my time wisely. 

In his new book “Meditations for Mortals,” former journalist and time management researcher Oliver Burkeman explores how we can accept our limitations in life and still be productive. 

“When you give up the unwinnable struggle to do everything, that’s when you can start pouring your finite time and attention into a handful of things that truly count,” he writes.

One of his strategies that resonated with me is to “do things daily-ish.” Steadily working toward a goal is great, but sometimes we can get hyper fixated on unrealistic schedules. 

Any time I vow to do something daily, I get so stressed about sticking to that plan and forget what the actual goal is. If I miss a day, I am inclined to give up altogether. It’s smarter, Burkeman writes, to commit to doing something a few times a week, or “daily-ish.” 

“Deep down, you know that doing something twice per week doesn’t qualify as dailyish, while five times per week does,” Burkeman writes. “In busy periods, three or four times per week might get to count. So you’re still putting some pressure on yourself.”

Being honest about how much time you can devote to something makes you more likely to accomplish it. “The point isn’t to spend your life serving rules,” Burkeman writes. “The point is for the rules to serve life.” 

Even if Beyoncé is able to follow through on daily to-do’s, I know my limitations. Hopefully by committing to doing tasks daily-ish, I can finally cross some of them off my list.

CNBC