Sarahritchie17 With the end of Mardi Gras season here in New Orleans, it’s time for me to get back into my normal 5-day work week. Between the holiday season and Mardi Gras, I was at trainings in Virginia, so I haven’t had a normal 5-day office job work week since probably early December.
It can be tough to get back into your routine after a lot of time off or away doing something different, so today, I want to highlight the importance I’ve found in hitting the ground running and how the little things make the biggest difference. Here are five things I focus on when I shift back to normalcy.
1. Set intention.
2. Start the night before.
3. Don’t hit snooze.
4. Move your body; get outside.
5. Do it again.
First, set intention.
Every time you come back from a period of time away from your normal routine (whether it’s traveling for work and living out of a suitcase for a week, or coming back from deployment, or a long weekend or vacation), you have an opportunity for a hard reset.
I learned this from being stationed on a ship with 40-60 day patrols. When I came back and hit the ground running, I thrived for the period of time that I had at home. When I didn’t set an intention early in the in-port, I felt sluggish and like I was just going through the motions. Two years of making those transitions showed me the importance of being intentional from the start and making the most of that time.
When you set an intention or a goal that challenges you to do something more or places your focus in a certain area of your life, you’re taking advantage of the reset and using it to grow. When you get back into your everyday routine, you’re planting a seed. This time, instead of planting it in dirt, plant it with fertilizer. Set intention from the start, and you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to achieve your goal.
Second, start the night before.
You cannot expect yourself to be your best version if you are not treating your body right. I know you have nothing good left in the fridge and you’re too exhausted from travel to go out to eat, but you need to find yourself a real dinner and get to bed at a reasonable hour. (Me saying this to myself every time I return from a trip.) I know for a fact that I am a better version of myself when I get eight whole hours of sleep versus barely six. Do what your parents would tell you to take care of your health from the minute you arrive home. If you set that focus from the start, it will be a million times easier to maintain. If you want your first day back to be a success, you need to make your night before a success too.
Third, don’t hit snooze.
I love the snooze button. Always have, always will. But I also hate it. It’s a tempting little devil that wants to give you immediate pleasure but then ruin the rest of your day. Don’t believe me? Give up the snooze button for Lent this year, and promise for 40 days to wake up to your first alarm. I did this once, and I was amazed at how I felt after a week-and-a-half. I was more awake and alert and energized all throughout the day than I had ever been before. Every single day I woke up chipper as a bird, ready to start the day. I was appalled by how just resisting this little temptation made such a huge impact on the way I felt and carried myself. If you can’t commit to a whole month of giving up the snooze, try it for two weeks and see if it works for you like it did for me. The first few days won’t be so great, but if you do it after a hard reset when your body hasn’t been in a routine for a bit, it won’t be as painful.
Fourth, move your body; get outside.
Get some form of exercise that first day back, and try to make it outside. Even if it’s just walking for 30 minutes around the block, it’ll pay dividends. This does so many things for resetting your routine. First, being outside resets your circadian rhythm. If you’ve been traveling across time zones, you’ll be more likely to get better sleep and feel better the next day if you make the time to get outside. Second, if you’ve been traveling, you’ve probably been sitting and standing around a lot, and you’re body needs the release; plus endorphins are always good. Third, it’s all about that routine. If you work out that first day back, you’ll be way more likely to workout the second and third or fourth days too. Make the time for your body from the start of this reset, and you’ll keep on making the time for yourself.
Fifth, do it again.
Continue to take these little steps every day so they become part of your routine. I’ve found that the easiest way for me to make changes or improvements to my daily routine are to add them when I come back from travel or days off. Use the opportunity you have here to not only start these healthy habits, but to continue to apply them every day. When you implement a new habit, it gets easier as you gain momentum. Doing all these things to reset is great, but it takes doing them again and again to really make the difference.
I’ve found that a lot of things I’ve learned in the personal growth field seem like common sense or things I’ve heard a thousand other places a thousand other times. You already know what’s healthy and right, you just need to actually do it. What I’ve found is that using these opportunities to reset are the easiest and best times to implement the tools you already know and have in your toolbox. Set your intention and shape your routine to level up and be a better version of yourself tomorrow.
If you like what you read here, follow @genuinesunshineblog on Instagram and look for new posts here at genuinesunshineblog.com every Sunday to start your week with sunshine!
Cheers!
Sarah
