I have a short story for you — shared with permission.

A client came into a session recently looking exhausted. Slumped in her chair, low energy, she told me she’d had a hard time getting out of bed. There was nothing in her day she was looking forward to.

Her job was… fine. But it wasn’t meaningful to her. And the idea of sitting in front of her computer all day made it that much harder to start.

What she really cared about was writing. She had an idea for a book. Characters she was excited about. But by the end of the workday, she had no energy left to write.

So I asked a simple question:
When is the best time for you to write?

“Morning,” she said.

Then:
What would happen if you started your day with writing?

Would it feel different to get out of bed if you were getting up to do something you actually care about? Would it be worth waking up a little earlier?

Something shifted immediately. She sat up. Started thinking out loud. Talked through her characters, her ideas. By the end of the session, she was a 10/10 on commitment.

The following week, she came back with an update: she had written every morning (minus one day when she was sick). More importantly, she felt different. She had more energy. She was in a better mood. Getting out of bed felt easier.

A meaningful shift — in one week.

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So what does this have to do with coaching?

A lot of us were raised with some version of: “Do your work first. Then you can play.”

The problem is, as adults, the work doesn’t end. There’s always one more email. One more project. One more thing that needs your attention.

If you wait until everything is done to do what you enjoy, you may be waiting a long time.

And in the meantime, your energy drains.

What I see over and over again is this: when people give themselves permission to do something they like — especially at the start of the day — everything else shifts.

In this case, it wasn’t just about writing.

Her mood improved.
Her energy increased.
She showed up differently at work — more engaged, less reactive.
She even had more ideas and creativity to bring into her job.

At the end of the day, she felt fulfilled instead of depleted.

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So here’s a question for you:

What would make you want to get out of bed?

Not what should you do. Not what’s most productive.

What would you actually look forward to?

Maybe it’s:

• Meeting a friend for coffee (in person or virtual)

• Picking flowers from your yard

• Writing, drawing, painting

• Playing with your pet

Whatever it is — the thing you keep postponing until there’s “time” — try putting it first.

Before the email.
Before the meetings.
Before the work that never quite ends.

See what happens when you let yourself play before school.