I think we can all agree that over the past few months life has been worlds away from what we've been used to. While this has manifested itself in many ways, I have had the largest struggle with getting back on a schedule and keeping it. This isn't due to a lack of meetings, tasks to be accomplished, or bills to be paid. It's simply been the amorphousness of time. With a breakdown in regular routines to help differentiate the days, it's become all too easy to disregard the centering effects of a timeline and just launch into each day with an energy verging on reckless abandon.
I've realized I've been through this before though. During the difficult illnesses and passing of loved ones, I have felt this complete loss of self and center as I've tried to adjust to a life with a new hole in my heart. The difference is this time, the whole world is going through it.
It's time to break this cycle and here's how you can do it.
1) Acknowledge that life is hard right now.
I tend to soldier on no matter the emotional or physical pain. Admitting I'm stressed or anxious has always felt like weakness to me. I am supposed to be the strong one. That's all fine and dandy, but we all need a moment to crumble a little. This is that moment. Journaling, a conversation with a friend, a moody Instagram picture: whatever it takes, give yourself a bit of grace to just acknowledge that you're going through hard times. Your hard times won't look like others' hard times and that's ok. Just bring your honest self to this moment and own the difficulty.
2) Get a calendar and fill it up.
I use a paper planner and I adore it, but you use what you have. The important thing is to make sure that each day is structured. Write in any meetings you have, start planning in blocks for tasks, errands, and community work. Look at the space that isn't spoken for yet and figure out how that time might get filled.
3) Create "signposts" in the details.
Go back and start getting specific. Meal plan for every day. It doesn't matter that you've never done that before. It marks what the day is and gives you something to focus on. Meatloaf Mondays, Taco Tuesdays, Fish Fridays: whatever it takes, start planning. You don't have to keep this habit, although it's one of my favorites. But use it for now.
Don't just leave it at meals, either. Add in cleaning, tasks, and errands. And don't leave out the fun stuff. write down the movie you're going to watch or the series you're binging. All you're doing is creating guides of where you are in the week (and even in the day) to help keep you on track.
4) Start living it.
What good is a schedule that is ignored? None, naturally. It's time to start living these days and attending to these details. Set your alarm, schedule your blog, show up at the community center that needs help. You're moving back into living as a full person, so embrace it.
5) Fall. Then get back up again.
Remember how I talked about giving yourself grace earlier? Well guess what: you're going to need heaps more of it. Life happens. Weirdness happens. Sadness happens. Mistakes happen. You are going to stumble and you are going to fall. It's pretty much an inevitability. What makes all the difference is what happens after. You might lay there for a bit, but don't stay there long. It just gets harder get back into it. Reset yourself. Restart this process: acknowledgement, scheduling, signposts, and life. Weave the remnants of the old schedule into the new. Then get back at it. The world is waiting for you.
Bonus Tip: Find Accountabilibuddies.
Wait. Find a what? An Accountabilibuddy! This is someone (or a group of someones) who will check in with you and nudge you and help you get back on track (and stay there)! In return, you do the same for them. How you and your accountabilibuddy work together is up to you all. Maybe it's a formalized weekly check in. Maybe it's just a case of one of you speaks up and points out that they haven't seen the other person taking certain action steps in a while. This can even be impromptu in conversation (as the nudge for me to get back to blogging was). But it is no accident that being accountable to someone helps grow your success rate. And when it comes to digging out of a mire, give yourself every advantage!
Feeling empowered? Know a friend who could use this advice? Share it! And don't forget to leave a comment! I love hearing from you and it encourages me to keep blogging on MY schedule!