Marcus told himself to do each thing as if it were the last thing he'd do, with full attention and no half-heartedness. Most of our stress isn't the work itself; it's doing one thing while worrying about the next four. When you bring your whole self to the single task in front of you, the cooking, the email, the call, it gets easier and oddly lighter. The pile of everything else can wait its turn. You can only ever do one thing at a time anyway. So give this one your real attention. There's a quiet dignity in doing even a small task well, as if it deserved you.

Inspired by the old idea of present moment. Written by Ugo Charles.