Do what you can, but don’t do nothing.

When you can’t nail your routine, or when, for whatever reason, your routine doesn’t leave you feeling energized or “ready,” it’s so easy to hit the mental eject button: today’s just not my day. But this isn’t necessarily true. Yes, routines really can help. Yes, every great performer uses routines. Yes, you should probably have a few routines yourself. But they are not destiny.

One of the best things that can happen is that you feel horrible before you start something that matters, and then surprise yourself during the activity itself: The great training session after a warm-up filled with dread. The productive writing session when you were half-asleep going in. The pitch that blew your boss away when you wanted to be anywhere else before you opened her office door. These experiences help you realize that you don’t need the perfect warm-up to perform well and don’t have to feel great to get going. You just need to get going.

Go and surprise yourself.