I should read more. I shouldn’t eat any dessert tonight. I should’ve worked out today. I should get a few more things done before bed…

Disclaimer: Huge thanks to Halo Top for supporting The Modest Man by sponsoring this post! Halo Top makes ice cream you can feel good about eating. It’s an excellent low calorie source of protein, and it’s delicious.

Plus, you can eat the whole pint and feel good about it. My favorite flavor is Caramel Macchiato. If you need a treat (you deserve it), go grab some Halo Top today!

If you’re anything like me, that little voice inside your head is constantly telling you what you should be doing or what you should have done.

Even on our best days, when we’re living according to our values, we often feel like we’re falling short.

Why are we so tough on ourselves? Why do we keep shoulding ourselves all the time?

Well, I’m not a psychiatrist, and I don’t know why it’s so easy to fall into this trap of self criticism.

But I’m here to challenge you to stop shoulding yourself.

Even if just for one week, or just in one specific area of your life…

How nice would that feel?

Here are three ways I’m trying to stop shoulding myself:

#1: I should get more done

I’m not exactly a productivity Jedi master. There are some days when I simply can’t focus and have a hard time creating anything.

But most days, I work a lot. There are some weeks when I’m working back to back 10-12 hour days, usually working toward some sort of deadline for a YouTube video or blog post.

Even during those weeks, though, I often hear that little voice creeping in at the end of the day, calling me lazy and highlighting all of the items still left on my to do list.

What gives? I had a super productive day, so why do I feel like I should keep working?

The thing is, as a self-employed individual, my work is never done. There’s always another video to work on or another brand to review. There’s always an old blog post that needs to be updated and bunch of unanswered emails collecting dust in my inbox.