Don't Get Comfortable

Self-Discipline is something I still have not mastered and I'm sure I never will because I also enjoy living in the moment and just saying yes. I like to say I am self-discipline enough to get the job done. After a year of being back in my home town I noticed I was falling into the same routine over and over again to a point I would just go on autopilot. I was feeling less motivated, because it's so easy to go through the motions without actively thinking. So recently I started practicing what I call the anti-routine.

The Anti-Routine

I'm pretty sure you can figure out the definition of anti-routine for yourself. Little things I started to pick up run from as simple as ironing my clothes to getting up 30 minutes early to grab a cup of coffee. Now, some of you are probably thinking, should you be doing regularly? No, and here's why.

My daily routine was: wake up, make coffee, get ready, work, post-work workout, dinner, clean up before bed. What I found was when I would missed making coffee or not going to the gym, I would feel so scattered and upset with myself. Especially missing coffee would just set off my day in the wrong direction.

So recently what I started doing was not putting myself on a schedule. I still wake up at the same time every day (with the occasional snooze button fails), but I would change up my morning routine. When I feel as if I need a little push start or extra motivation I leave my house early to go to some local coffee shop where I can sit and read a book. That 30 minutes makes so much of a difference, but I don't do it everyday. Some morning when I wake up anxious, I'll just take my time getting ready. Some days I won't go to the gym, but instead go get a pedicure. Getting a pedicure may not be working towards the 6-pack I want, but it's still benefiting my appearance which has me feeling great for about 2 weeks until I need another.

I continue to add or take away different activities to keep my lifestyle fresh and I've felt the difference in not getting comfortable.

Do a Little More

A couple different things I've been doing to help my practice self-discipline is doing a little more even if it takes up time.

I believe everyone should give themselves time to rest, but at the same time you don't need to go home at 5:30pm and watch TV until 10pm. That's almost 5 hours! Even if you add in making dinner and washing up, that's still probably about 3 hours of TV watching! That's 21 hours a week and about 30 hours a month! And that's if you don't spend your weekend being a potato couch.

A new habit I've picked up when I feel like I've gotten my rest and could be productive is just ironing my clothes. First off, I HATE IRONING! I'm one of those people who take a week to put away their laundry. However, I have noticed how much cleaner and put together I look when I go to work or even just go out, because I even iron my t-shirts too.

It's little things like that or making your bed, that can go a long way. Now I can't say that all of these practices are the true keep to a happy and successful lifestyle, but it's different approach.

Just sayin, if you find yourself in a rut or going on autopilot, maybe it's time to give the ol' Anti-routine a shot.