Sticking To A Plan on a Beautiful Fall Day

This summer has played havoc with my life. Now that I'm home and life is returning to normal, I've discovered I can't find the old rhythm I enjoyed last winter. I may not be the most organized person, (believe me when I say I know some people who were incredibly organized!), but I am pretty organized in how I approach things. I actually have a little notebook that sits on my counter with my daily plan written in it. I call it my LPJ. (Life Plan Journal) After we moved here last summer, it took a while to find the new order of things, but last fall, I finally found a schedule that worked for me. I had a pattern of doing things. There was time to write. The house got cleaned when it needed it. Some tasks were assigned a day to be done. Activities were tucked into the daily plan. I was even good about keeping a food diary and getting some type of workout on a regular basis. In fact, I lost several pounds! Life was smoooooth.

Spring came and trips began. All was well. I was gone a week, home a few days, prepped for the next trip; you get the picture. There were curves in the road, but all in all, the ride wasn't too bumpy. Then summer hit.

Suddenly, we were gone. A LOT! While I managed to get in a good long walk a few days a week, a daily routine was useless. Most of the time our days revolved around other people. We ate out every day. Lunches, dinners, occasionally even a breakfast. My food diary went out the window. I mean, what was the point? It was there to help me stay aware of the food going in. Oh, believe me, I was aware, with every sugar, fat, or salt laden restaurant dish that sat on the placemat in front of me! Who knew exactly what all was stuffed into even the smaller portions, or lighter fare?

Well, I'm home now, so it's back to normal, right? You would think so. But old habits break easily. ( I know. The saying goes "old habits die hard". Not for me. ) The simplest thing would be to start up with the LPJ. The days are the same as they used to be. Just plan the next week and fill in the old routine. Except I forget to do it. And when I do remember to write out my daily plan, I forget to check it.

I've also discovered any workout plan I had before is too hard now as evidenced by the new aches and pains. I've been away from it for so long, I'm back to square one. Retraining. Taking it slow. Instead of my daily walk with our steep hill, I've had to change it up to include the steep hill only a couple of times a week. My workouts at Curves are suddenly harder now than they used to be.

The other problem is I have plenty to do without looking at my old LPJ to see what's next on the agenda. I came back with bags of family photographs from my husband's childhood home, and boxes of stuff that need to find a new place in an already full house. I have fall projects. But it's fall. The yard is calling. I'd rather be outside!

There Is So Much To Do!

And therein lies the rub. I've found it really difficult to find time to write. Mornings? Busy. Afternoons? It's September! The weather is so gorgeous. Evenings? That has often been one of my best times to write, but by then, I'm beat. And ready to kick back. After all, that's what I've been doing in the evenings for the last four months...Kicking back, chillin' down. Like I said, Old habits break easily.

It will take some time, but I will get my old routine back. The one where things go pretty smoothly. It will happen by winter. But for now, Fall is calling and I must go.