Having a daily routine for chores, meals, and exercise is generally a good thing. The times when it isn’t is when there is a disruption to the routine. Adjusting to some type of interference in our daily routine is challenging. I still struggle with this but have found a few helpful things that keep me on track.

1. Be ok with the disruption: A lot of why disruptions continue to cause me problems is that I dwell on the disruption. Why did the delivery come late? When will they call back? Why is the weather doing what it is doing? These are all disruptions that we have no control over. Thinking about them after the fact is a distraction. Even worse things like resentment fester and we get angry at something we have no control over. The better strategy is to recognize the issue, make adjustments, and then move on.
2. Limit your decisions: When a disruption occurs to your routine you need to have steps you can take to quickly move on. Part of this is limiting the number of decisions you can make. There is an interview with President Obama where he talks about his suits: ‘“You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits,” he said. “I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.”’ Disruptions are going to happen. If you have limited the decisions you have to make, it is easier to get through them and back on track.
3. Keep the end in mind: Sometimes everything goes wrong. You have a flat tire. The water heater bursts. A global pandemic happens. During those events it is easy to dwell on the despair of your situation. This is when thinking about the bigger picture can help bring me out of a funk. Things might not be great right this moment, but this will pass and things will get better. Goal planning is not my strong suit but it is very helpful. Come up with specific reasons to exercise or eat well. Think about the future and where you want to be. The crazier the better. The more the better. Write those down and return to them when times are tough. You might be surprised to find you have already met many of them without knowing it.

This was my attempt at a pep talk. Currently I have family visiting and the distractions are high. I am remembering to be ok with it, limiting my decisions, and keeping the end in mind.

Workout Details:

Back to strength training and did the Recommended Routine. Pull ups are still struggling but I did 4 sets of 3 almost all clean. I think the horizontal rows should progress to raised feet on Wednesday. Also push ups are moving up to rings on Wednesday too.

Happy Monday!