Show Up Today, Quit Tomorrow (But Don’t): A Mindset for Consistent Progress

There’s a saying often thrown around in creative circles: “The hardest part is showing up.”

It’s true—sitting down at your desk, opening your design software, or sketching that first idea is often the biggest hurdle. But what about the days when even showing up feels like too much? What about when the voice in your head whispers, “Maybe this isn’t for you. Maybe it’s time to quit.”

For freelancers, graphic designers, and creatives, this internal tug-of-war is familiar territory.

Our work demands not only skill and creativity but also a certain emotional resilience—a willingness to keep going even when progress feels invisible.

Today, let’s explore a simple but powerful mindset: “Show Up Today, Quit Tomorrow (But Don’t).”

This phrase isn’t about quitting at all—it’s about building a habit of resilience, allowing space for frustration, and creating an agreement with yourself to never make big decisions on your worst days.

The Emotional Rollercoaster of Creative Work

Freelancing and creative careers are uniquely emotional.

One day you’re riding high on client praise, a finished project, or an inspired breakthrough. The next day, you’re questioning every choice, every pixel, every word.

This emotional whiplash isn’t a sign of failure—it’s part of the job.

But it’s also one of the biggest reasons why so many freelancers and creatives throw in the towel prematurely.

The truth is, consistency isn’t glamorous.

It’s not an exciting highlight reel of client wins and portfolio pieces. More often, it’s a string of quiet, uneventful days filled with incremental progress.

That’s where the mindset of “Show Up Today, Quit Tomorrow (But Don’t)” comes in.

What Does ‘Show Up Today, Quit Tomorrow’ Actually Mean?

The idea is simple:

• On your toughest days, when everything feels like too much, make a deal with yourself.
• Tell yourself, “I can quit tomorrow. But today, I’ll show up.”
• And then, just do one thing. Open the file. Write one sentence. Adjust one design element.

Why does this work?

Because most of the time, the desire to quit isn’t permanent—it’s emotional. It’s tied to fatigue, frustration, or a rough interaction with a client.

By postponing the decision to quit, you give yourself a chance to calm down, gain perspective, and often, rediscover your momentum.

Lower the Bar, Build the Habit

When you tell yourself, “Just show up today,” you reduce the mental weight of what it means to be productive.

The expectation shifts from “I need to create something amazing today” to “I need to show up and do one thing today.”

This subtle mental shift is powerful because:

• It removes the pressure of perfection.
• It prioritises consistency over intensity.
• It creates space for small wins.

Showing up doesn’t always mean creating your best work. Sometimes it means organising your project folders, responding to that one overdue email, or sketching aimlessly for ten minutes.

Small steps compound over time. Progress isn’t always visible in the moment, but consistency guarantees that you’re moving forward—no matter how slowly.

Why Freelancers and Creatives Are More Prone to Burnout

Freelancers and creatives often blur the lines between their work and their identity. When your work is your passion, your hobby, and your livelihood, it’s easy to fall into these traps:

1. Overcommitment: Saying yes to too many projects or unrealistic deadlines.
2. Isolation: Working alone, without peers or a team to share the burden.
3. Comparison: Scrolling through curated portfolios on social media and feeling like everyone else is more talented or successful.
4. Lack of Clear Milestones: In creative work, success isn’t always measurable in numbers or metrics.

These factors create a perfect storm for burnout, self-doubt, and the overwhelming urge to walk away entirely.

But quitting doesn’t have to be the answer. Sometimes, what you really need isn’t an escape—it’s a reset.

Creating Your Own ‘Show Up Today’ Ritual

So how do you actually implement this mindset into your daily creative routine?

Lower the Stakes

Instead of saying, “I need to finish this entire project today,” reframe your goal: “I need to make some progress today.”

Progress might mean:

• Refining one slide in a presentation.
• Testing out one new font pairing.
• Writing one solid paragraph for your client proposal.

Create a ‘Bare Minimum’ Plan

What’s the smallest possible action you can take to show up?

For example:

• Open the project file.
• Spend 10 minutes brainstorming.
• Respond to one email.

If you can do that one small thing, you’ve succeeded. Anything beyond that is a bonus.

Keep a ‘Quit Tomorrow’ Journal

Write down your frustrations on the tough days. Be brutally honest. Then close the journal and revisit it the next day. Often, you’ll realise the emotions that felt overwhelming yesterday have softened overnight.

Celebrate Consistency, Not Outcomes

Don’t tie your sense of success to the final result. Celebrate the act of showing up—because showing up is the hardest part.

The Compound Effect of Showing Up

Here’s the truth: The days when you show up and do something, even if it’s small, are the days that separate long-term creatives from those who burn out and leave the industry.

Every time you honour the “Show Up Today, Quit Tomorrow” mindset, you’re reinforcing a powerful habit: the habit of consistency.

You’re training yourself to push through discomfort, to trust the process, and to remember that quitting on a bad day is rarely the right choice.

When Quitting Might Be the Right Choice

Let’s address the elephant in the room: sometimes, quitting is the right move.

If your work is consistently causing harm to your mental health, if your values no longer align with your projects, or if you’ve genuinely outgrown your path—it’s okay to move on.

But the key difference is this: don’t make that decision on a bad day.

Decide when you’re clear-headed, rested, and able to see the full picture—not when you’re deep in frustration and self-doubt.

Final Thoughts: Keep Showing Up

The creative life isn’t a straight path—it’s a winding road filled with peaks, valleys, and plenty of confusing detours.

The people who make it aren’t necessarily the most talented or the most naturally gifted. They’re the ones who keep showing up, day after day, even when it’s hard.

So next time you feel like quitting, remember this:

Commit to showing up today and revisit your decision tomorrow.

Because chances are, tomorrow you’ll remember why you started in the first place.

And that’s worth showing up for.