Ok, Team, we are 22 days into this new habit and some things have gone according to plan and some things have gone, well, not according to plan.
Let’s take a few minutes to check our systems.
No, I’m not suggesting a fitness test or checking your pulse, I’m talking about the systems in your life that either make it easier or harder to do the tasks related to your habit.
We have systems for everything, some that work well, some that used to work well but no longer meet our needs, and some that don’t actually work at all.
The problem with systems is that once they are in place we often forget that they are there. And if we forget that the system is there, we can fall into the trap of blaming ourselves when things go wrong.
And blaming ourselves, being hard on ourselves, isn’t going to solve anything – it’s only going to make us feel bad.
However, checking our systems will help us see when and how and why we didn’t do the things we meant to do.
For example, if your plan is to do yoga right before bed each night but your partner likes to watch TV before bed and your mat is in the same room as the TV, you may find that your yoga plan doesn’t work very often. Essentially, your ‘do yoga’ system may not actually be helping you get your yoga done.
So, rather than being hard on yourself or your partner, you can look at the system instead.
Can you do yoga somewhere else?
Can your partner watch TV somewhere else?
Can you wear earphones while doing yoga? (If so, where will you put them so they are easy to find at yoga time?)
Is there another good time of day for doing yoga?
Or, if you can do yoga with the TV on, is the challenge in getting yourself to start your practice instead of sitting on the couch watching the show? Would a ‘start yoga!’ alarm help?
Actually switching from ‘I’d like to do yoga’ to ‘I’m doing yoga’ will still take some determination and effort but the switch will be easier if your system is working for you instead of against you.
That was an example of a system that wasn’t working but you are likely to find that some of your systems *are* working. When you find those, notice what parts of the system support you in following your plan. Is it a reminder? Keeping things in a certain location? Having an accountability partner? Noticing what works will help you tweak other systems that aren’t working the way you want them to.
And, finally, it’s a good idea to check on systems that used to work but that aren’t working any more. You may, for example, be being hard on yourself because you used to walk regularly but now you can hardly get yourself out the door.
Instead of defaulting to self-blame, ask yourself what has changed. What made it easier before? Is something missing from your previous routine? Did some circumstances in your life change?
Systems that used to serve is well but no longer meet our needs are some of the sneakiest systems of all so it may take you a bit more thinking to figure those out. Please be extra kind to yourself in the process.
So, Team, whether things are going swimmingly or whether you feel like you are swimming upstream, checking your systems will help you see how to make things easier for yourself overall.
Here are your gold stars for today.
And, as always, I wish you ease.
