November 5th – here in the UK it’s “Bonfire Night,” an evening of festivity and fireworks.

So lots of us will be thinking, “How can I get away from the office on time, even though there’s too much to do?”

One option is to simply try and cram it all in.

But today is also “National Stress Awareness Day.” And you know what happens if you try and get everything done – as the day goes on it gets more and more frantic, and you either end up leaving late or letting someone down. That’s stressful!

So instead of a frantic day, how about a mindful day. I don’t mean a day of chilled navel-gazing, that’s a popular misunderstanding of mindfulness. I mean a day of really clear and energised focus.

Start with realism:

1. there are only so many minutes in a day.
2. there is always too much to do – that’s just a fact of life in the 21st century.

So the question isn’t “How am I going to do it all?” – the question is, “What will I do, and what will I leave?”

Make the tough decisions about how you’re going to spend your time. And make them now.

So you can focus on what matters most.

So you can stop worrying about everything else.

So you have more energy to make more progress.

So you know when you have to say no, and the confidence to do so with kindness.

So when it comes to 5.30, you won’t be in a panic trying to finish everything off.

Instead, you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’ve spent your day in the best possible way. You’ll be ready to enjoy the leisure time you deserve – and to give your loved ones a special evening too.

What could be better than that?