One More Thing

(Note: I got some coaching over the summer on my writing and decided to do some re-writes of some of my more popular posts. This is one of those. If you thought it sounded familiar…you are right)

It was 5:25 p.m.

I had promised Courtney I’d be home by 6:00 for dinner and bath time. The drive takes almost exactly 30 minutes. That meant if I wanted to keep my promise, I needed to stand up, close my laptop, and walk to the garage — right then.

Instead, I looked at my to-do list and said the same thing I’ve said my entire career:

Just one more thing.

I left the parking garage at 5:45 and walked through the door at 6:15. Dinner was nearly done and my son was still awake. Courtney was kind and didn’t said a word about me being late.

No big deal, right? She’s a gem.

That’s what I told myself.

But something felt off.

I don’t know why it hit me differently that night, but for the first time, I realized this wasn’t an exception. This was a pattern.

The reason no one batted an eye is because this is just who I am to them: I’m the guy that gives one more thing to work everyday.

I did the math: those 15 minutes added up to two and a half days a year. Two and a half days where I could have been present and wasn’t.

That was the cost of One More Thing.

The Problem Wasn’t the Clock

The next morning, I stood in the shower trying to solve it.

Should I: Set an alarm? Block my calendar? Ask someone to hold me accountable?

None of it felt right. It all felt like a band-aid on a much deeper problem.

The problem wasn’t time management. The problem was identity.

I am, and always have been, a One More Thing person. I’m wired to finish, to achieve, to squeeze the juice out of every moment. That instinct isn’t wrong. It just belonged somewhere else.

Flipping the Frame

I had spent years using “One More Thing” to serve work. But never once had I used it to serve my life. That morning, I tried something different.

I paused before leaving the house and said: “What if I decided to do one more thing here at home?”

I unloaded the dishwasher, then folded a few shirts. I wrote a thank-you note. And picked up toys from the living room floor. (Okay, so four more things. Another pattern.)

Not because anyone asked me to but because I wanted to start giving all of that extra attention to my family. This became my new default.

What Happens When You Rewire a Habit

The external results were subtle at first. I don’t think anyone even noticed for a couple of weeks.

But, the internal results were incredible. I felt better about myself and how I was showing up for myself and my family. There was a definite feeling of accomplishment.

Eventually, Courtney noticed that all of a sudden the towels were getting washed and/or dried in the middle of the week instead of in a frenzy when we ran out.

And she noticed that I was more present with the family both in the morning and evening. But, it didn’t stop there.

Once this new habit was installed it actually helped me to prioritize my work in a way that allowed me to completely stop overworking and being late in the evenings. All by putting my “one more thing” energy into my most important relationships.

Try It

You don’t need a system or an app to do this. You don’t even need kids.

Just try doing one more thing for yourself, your family, or someone else in your life.

It doesn’t have to be big. In fact, it shouldn’t be. It takes me less than 5 minutes to gather the towels and toss them in the washing machine. It was never about time. It’s always been about presence.

That moment you always give to work?
Try giving it back to your life.

And if you try it — I’d love to hear what your first “One More Thing” turns out to be.