Week One

I successfully completed an entire week of a new morning routine. I’m capturing my thoughts here so that I can refer back if/when I get derailed so that I get back on as quickly as possible. So far, here are my key learnings.

1. Small adjustments are better than big ones
2. Be flexible but don’t compromise
3. Don’t fear failure

Small adjustments are better than big ones

In the past, I’ve tried to make big changes to get me on a workout routine. For example, I’d plan to get up an hour earlier so that I could start work earlier, so that I could workout at the end of the day without taking time away from the family. Or, I had decided to schedule time out of my family evening time in order to do this. Or, I’d try to commit myself that I wouldn’t go to bed until I had worked out—thus staying up later. These might work for others, but they have not been a good fit for me.

In this case, I realized I was wasting time in the morning in the order by which I did things. By re-arranging the order, I’ve been to extract time by driving when traffic is very low and shower in a place that makes me want to take a quicker shower. Come into the gym already dressed in my exercise gear. Seems obvious, but it wasn’t to me.

Be flexible but don’t compromise

My Thursday’s schedule didn’t allow me to come into the gym. I needed to be flexible in how I accomplished the daily task, but I needed to not compromise on some of what I’m finding are fundamentals:

• Keep a consistent sleep schedule
• Get up and exercise, period
• Write even when you feel you have other important things to do

Okay, I admit I really didn’t have these fundamentals worked out in my head. But, I think these may be the things I don’t compromise on. Let’s check back in another week.

Don’t fear failure

The story of my life in my exercise goals have been that I’ve been consistent for up to a couple of months. Then something knocks me off track and I don’t get back on for another 6-12 months. This pattern of failure has made it difficult for me to want to start again because I can already predict what is going to come in the future. So, why try? That is the lie I need to not believe. I need to believe that I can change and break out of it.

This time, I’m not going to fear failure. Does that mean I’m not going to fail? No. It’s more likely than not that I will repeat past failures. However, I’m going to keep trying. Let’s go!