Hey Team,
For the next few days, I will be borrowing from approach to my writing practice and applying it to developing fitness habits.
As you have probably guessed, I often write these Go Team posts on the day they are posted.
And I like working this way because it feels interesting to my ADHD brain and it feels responsive to how I am feeling on a given day. I have some preliminary ideas in a folder and I have some ideas rattling round in my head but I don’t really have a big plan in place.
What I do have, though, is a routine and, sooner or later each January, I end up writing about it.
And that day is today.
You see, some days, even with ideas rattling around in my head and with some preliminary drafts in a folder, nothing feels quite right to write about.
Some stuff feels too big to take on today and other things feel too small, like I need to finish thinking them through. Some stuff feels boring and some stuff feels like I have said it too often already.
And, on those days, when I am at loose ends and I am not sure what I want to write, I lean on my routine.
My routine goes like this:
- Make a cup of tea or get a glass of water
- Get my little bits of paper (half an index card, cut with very little precision, just in case you are wondering)
- Get something to draw with (today it was a pencil and some markers)
- Decide whether to draw small stars or big stars and then decide whether they will have faces
- Set a timer (13 mins in my case) then start drawing and let my mind wander (sometimes it wanders over pre-existing topics, sometimes I just let it go wherever it wants.)
By the time my drawing is finished, I almost always know what I want to say and basically how I want to say it.
Now, I have a lot of practice writing in general and a lot of practice writing Go Team posts so I am not really starting from scratch here.
I know that I have the skills to put a post together at any given time and all I need is to get my brain up the on-ramp.
So, having this routine that reminds my brain what I am supposed to be doing and then keeps my hands busy while I think really makes a big difference in the process of getting a post written.
I think the same thing can be true for fitness and wellness habits.
Expanding and enhancing the things you want in your life can be based in a routine (or multiple routines, really, but maybe start one at a time.)
Perhaps there are a series of things you can do to get your brain (and your body) into exercise mode. (e.g. set an alarm and when it goes off, you fill your water bottle, grab your sweater, put on your shoes, and head out for a walk.)
Maybe you can unfold your day towards your meditation time. (e.g. after supper, you light a candle, wrap yourself in a blanket, and lie on your mat while you listen to a guided meditation.)
Your new less stress habit could start with a routine that feels connected to removing some worries. (e.g. when you get home from work/finish work for the day, you change at least some of your clothes, wash your face, brush your hair, and then do some specific breathing before writing a list of things (work stresses) you are parking for the evening.)
Obviously, you’ll have to be the one to determine the steps of your routine and you will probably have to experiment with it a little.
And it will help if your routine feels like it is moving you toward the action you want to take.
In my case, I need a star for my post, drawing stars feels easy so there is a low barrier to getting started, and getting the star done is bringing me closer to finishing my post.
I could have a routine that involves stretching or listening to music, or something else and that *might* work but if I am feeling especially twitchy on a given day, those things might feel like added tasks instead of part of a process.
So, Team, today, I invite you to consider your routine, your on-ramp for your practice.
What can you do to make it easier to do your new practice?
What actions will move you forward, even if, like me when I start drawing, you haven’t fully decided where you want to end up?
What actions, activities, or rituals would help carry you toward your practice even if you feel indifferent towards it on a given day?
Please don’t put pressure on yourself to figure all of this out right away (my star drawing routine was a happy fluke at first) but stay open to ideas to include in your on-ramp to your practice.
And here are a whole bunch of gold stars to celebrate your efforts to create a routine, to trust your routine, and to adjust any routine as needed. These stars also celebrate any efforts you make today to be kind to yourself, to make space for yourself in your own life, or to make decisions that make sense for you today.
Go Team Us!
