Getting back into a routine is tough!

Every single time I go on vacation or towards the end of summer I get a strong urge to get back on schedule and back into my routine.

We just got home from our once in a lifetime kinda of vacation for my 40th birthday in St. Lucia.   It was amazing and Bin and I really connected again. So it was amazing.

I have been wheels off this summer and barely working.  I planned some of this but have definitely gotten less done than I thought and planned for at the beginning of the summer.

By the time our trip was coming to an end, I was craving routine and schedules.

So I thought about it for a bit on the plane ride home and decided to get it together and start the next week fresh and with a schedule.

Today, I’m going to share the 4 steps I took to get me back on track.

1. Get back on a good sleep schedule.

Sleep is super important and really plays the leading role in your life.  Everything from weight loss to concentration and especially productivity. So this is where I started.

I made a conscious decision to focus on getting at least 7 ½ hours per night hopefully more like 8 ½ but that’s a good place to start.

2. Food and Water

One of my biggest time sucks is getting bogged down in meal planning/prepping.

So on the plane, I made a list of meals for the week.  I just decided to go simple and tried and true.

I also had just indulged a lot on this vacay or really all summer so I wanted to focus on eating a rainbow of colors and less carbohydrate & sugar.

So I planned a week of good whole lower carb meals that are super simple and easy.

Next, I set reminders in my phone one at 11 am and one at 3 pm to remind me to drink water.

Water is super important for all bodily functions and especially your brain so if I’m going to kick ass this week, I need plenty of water.

Usually, I just get 4-20oz cups, fill them and set them on the table so that I see them every time I walk into the kitchen but that hasn’t been working that great.  

I’ll end up with 60 oz to drink at the end of the day and then pee all night.  So I’ll set a timer to get me back in the habit.

3. Unpack and Do Laundry

Confession: I am usually the person that leaves my suitcase on the floor of my bedroom for weeks after my vacay. ?  Yep that’s me.

But in the spirit of getting back in routine and on track I decided to shake things up a bit and unpack and do my laundry right away.  

Not the wash now and live out of the laundry basket until I needed to do laundry again method that has been par for the course this summer.

I washed and folded and put away all of our clothing.  IT. WAS. AMAZING!

4. Brain Dump and Make a List

You guys know I love a good brain dump and checklists are my love language.

This is the absolute perfect time to use these tools.  

So I got out some paper and started spewing

I had a home and work column and just started listing off everything I needed/wanted to get done before school started.

This was a rather long list so I got out another sheet and pulled out 10 things I could get done this week after looking at what was already on my schedule for the week like appointments and physical therapy.

This 15 minute activity made me feel like I had my shit together and like I was ready to embark on my week.

So then today rolled around.  I had my list. I knew my schedule.  I had food prepped and ready.

But I came home from PT and felt a little less motivated.  I almost talked myself into watching a movie or going to lunch with a friend…after all what’s one more day.  

BUT I was doing so good I had done all of this prep and I had previously made the decision to get shit done this week.  

Watching a movie wasn’t going to get the results I wanted this week with all of the goals and tasks that needed to happen.  

So here I am working on this podcast. And about to check off 4 things for the day.  

I made myself a deal that if I finished the 10 things for this week then on Friday afternoon I could watch that movie.  And if I got them done sooner then even better.

Now that I know I have some time set aside for me to watch that movie and have given myself permission to take that time…I actually feel less guilty about that and more motivated to get it done sooner rather procrastinating like I usually do.

How do you get back into a routine after summer or a vacation?  I want to know!

 

Accountability = Success

If you do have big goals and dreams for your online business and you want to set up a solid strategy to get you there don’t forget I have strategy calls and accountability packages.  You can check them out over at MommysHomeOffice.com.

Have a great week and I’ll catch you in the next episode.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Thanks for Listening!

Check out the most recent episodes:

I’m 40!  Now What?

7 Steps to Get Out of a Funk

5 Things I’m Afraid to Tell You

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Special thanks to  Carson Baker for being an awesome sound engineer.  Until next time!

 

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