I’m starting this post almost two hours later than last weeks. Yes, it is because I woke up almost two hours later than last week. Even without 100% compliance, I am getting the benefits I was looking for with this trial. Today gave me a lot to think about even if I’ve only been up for a few minutes.
Don’t React If It’s Unneccessary
In the past, my morning strategy was wake up, roll out of bed, and make my way to work. I used the morning routine trial to try and shake that up, which definitely helped. The problem was that should I ever wake up off of what I had planned, I would be thrown into a panic.
If I didn’t have time to get to everything I wanted to, I would rush leading to me reacting all day trying to catch up to my plan. I was particularly bad before having any morning routine established. I’ve had countless days of up and out the door. Forgetting lunch, not taking care of any of my to-do list, etc. This morning I woke up a little after 7 and that instinct kicked in.
“Oh no, I need to do this, this, and this.” I thought for a moment when my eyes opened. Then I took a deep breath and got up as I normally would and got ready accordingly. I’m definitely not going to be able to get as much as I was hoping to done, but I can still be the one in control of my day.
Lifestyle Change is Hard
I write a lot about not sticking to what I set out for myself on this blog, which can be pretty damn frustrating. I didn’t follow X as closely as I wanted, or I failed at doing Y each day. This has felt particularly true of the last few trials.
Author James Clear has popped up a ton in the various media I follow, so I decided to give him a deeper look. His annual review post for 2017 really jumped out to me. I love retrospectives and reviews people give for periods of time. It’s nice to get an idea of what someone thinks, especially when that someone is you.
In his reviews, James has a whole section for what didn’t go as well as he had hoped. I couldn’t help but really stick to the section, as I’ve found myself struggling with keeping up with these trials. In reading through, I realized that so many of the trials I’ve done lately are actually pretty major lifestyle changes, and those can take some time to settle in.
If you find yourself not quite where you want to be with a new habit, practice, or even just your morning, don’t rush it. Take a small step back and look at what is really going on. Then, get back on track with a new, better plan.
Trying Out Before Buying In 