3 common mistakes that sabotage your routine

Despite the fact that it happens every year, I’m always surprised and caught off guard by how much change my body’s needs and desires in my routine and self care practices at this time of year. 

Specifically, how much lower my energy can be, how much less I want to do and how much slower I want to move. 

We talked a little bit about why that is last week in our discussion of the 5th season (if you missed that you can read it here). 

Knowing why is helpful because it lets us understand how external factors are impacting and increases our awareness of what we can shift and change to better take care of ourselves. 

Here are some things my body was all in on this summer and no longer desires:

• Days filled with social activities 

• Iced matcha 

• Lots of running around with very little downtime 

• Ice cream and popsicles

And here are some of the things that my body is now craving:

• Days of quiet and solitude 

• Hot matcha

• WFH and naps 

• Cooked foods and soups 

So you know why your body is craving change. And you might even know what those changes are for you (because they're unique to all of us). 

But here’s the catch-22, if we’re already feeling rundown and depleted, we may find it super hard to actually MAKE those changes and incorporate those new choices that we know will help our energy levels. 

I know it has been for me lately. 

Changing our routine sounds simple (just do it), but there are a lot of mistakes I see clients making when it comes to their day-to-day planning and creating schedules that work. 

This leaves them frustrated because they’re not able to accomplish their top priorities and it also keeps them feeling  low in energy and in a heavy and pessimistic mental state. 

So HOW do we actually implement changes when we don't have the energy or motivation and everything feels hard?

Here are 3 common scheduling mistakes you might be making that are sabotaging your routine: 

1. Not putting it on your calendar: Studies show that you are 2-3X more likely to actually do something if you schedule in your calendar when AND where you will take that action. If you want to up your chances, make a contingency plan (alternate time) for any problems or setbacks that might get in the way.

2. Having an unrealistic relationship with time: We live in a society where it’s seen that the more we can do in a day the better. So we’re surrounded by the energy of trying to fit as much as possible into every minute and often that leads us to try to multitask or pretend that something takes less time than it actually does (and therefore assume we can get more done than time realistically allows) 

3. Assuming new habits and old habits are equal: When it comes to changing a habit or swapping out one habit in your routine for a different one you haven’t done in awhile, it’s new to your brain as a choice. This means that your brain can’t do the habit on autopilot so it’s going to take more time and energy for you to accomplish. By honoring and acknowledging that truth you can improve your chances of success and be more accurate in planning out your daily schedule in a way that isn’t overwhelming or unrealistic (see #2). Not to mention giving yourself more grace. :-)

Your routine isn’t going to change overnight, just like the seasons take time to transition. Let it unfold naturally little by little and remember, doing something is better than doing nothing.