Predictable, Consistent and Flexible Routines
Rule of Thirds:
1/3 awesome
1/3 okay
1/3 hard
I've been working a bit on consistency this month, and boy, it can be tricky because it’s NOT all awesome. This has been an essential reminder for me.
When we are working on projects or jobs we love, we somehow expect it to be fun and fulfilling. It often is, but a lot of the time, it’s not fun. It’s work, it’s hard, and it’s messy. It’s unpredictable.
I know that if I am going to be consistent - at least 80% of the time - I need to set up predictable and efficient routines. I also need to give myself permission to be flexible roughly 20% of the time.
That means I have the same yoga practice two days a week, the same cycling/weight routine two days, and then the other three days, I am flexible. I realize the math doesn't quite add up to 80/20, but there's a perfect opportunity to be flexible! (The reality is, I usually wing it two of those days and take one day off).
While I don't always totally enjoy the workout, it feels good to put energy and attention where I intend to put it. And that is part of the fuel in the predictable, efficient routines.
Even though I know this, I have been struggling to put predictable structures in my morning routine.
I do my best thinking from 6 am until about 11 am. But that time can just slip by, leaving me facing the afternoon and a whole lot of unmet obligations and desires.
So the morning is when I need to write.
But then there's laundry.
And the kitchen.
And email, text, social media.
And the dog.
And the cats.
Oh, and a squirrel….
(I have an excellent wandering mind. Do you?)
I would face my resistance, carefully carve out a "new" game plan for mornings. And alas, by day three, I’d notice myself on coffee number three, sitting on the couch reading at 8:30 am instead of writing.
During the beginning of the pandemic (um, a YEAR ago), my slushy mornings were a luxury that I welcomed. The early morning summer sun then made it easier to get rolling. Fall brought school, and there was less wiggle room in the morning. But as the second season of winter came, I seemed to regress - beyond working from home in leggings and a decent enough top, to slacking on the hair and make-up, to just having those days it's all about treading water until the next sunrise because I could not stick to a routine.
My “routine” wasn't working because it wasn't predictable, efficient, nor flexible. It wasn’t working because I wasn’t willing to accept the sucky or okay parts that come with the awesomeness of being intentional and meeting goals, obligations, and desires.
When I am teaching, I am on track 99% of the time. It's always been interesting that I have to work really, really hard to have predictability and consistency in my personal business and my work.
It's much easier to mobilize 20 six-year-olds around a common task or destination than it often to meet deadlines I give myself.
I know I need some yellow lines to stay in between, and often, so guard rails.
Like leaving my phone outside my office door or an accountability partner who texts me once a week to see where my writing is.
I had to clean up a lot of the nonsense in my mornings (and the rest of my life!)
I remembered that choosing what I want over what I feel like doing is often the push I need to stay consistent.
I may feel like reading all morning or digging in my garden, but I want to finish my writing project.
I also know I am a visual person, so I've got handy things like the image at the top to remind me.
How do you stay on track? If you’re a person that needs some structure to bring predictability to your routines, I can help with that! I have two spots for coaching coming up starting at the end of April. If you're curious about how weekly coaching can help you find your groove in the morning or any other time of day, let’s chat. I’ll help you decide what matters most and find a predictable, consistent, and flexible routine that works for you!
