Getting Back On Track After A Hiatus: Start Here

We’ve all been there…

You’re on that diet and you fit in a cheat day. 

You work out for two days and then get lazy after work on day three. 

You’re doing a fabulous job of writing a blog, every month and you take on too much work and drop that from your to-do list. 

You’ve got a vision board in place for all your dreams, you’re excited and then you are bogged down by daily tasks and don’t end up chasing it at all.

Sounds familiar to you? Me too. But as the clock ticks, I’ve realised something precious: 

These small bumps in the larger scheme of things, make you human. I’m pretty sure the most successful people have their days too. What separates them isn’t their motivation but their ability to bounce back quickly. 

Hear me out. There will always be things happening and instances when following your routine is impossible. So what do you do then? You work with strategies that help you get back on track. It is the tiny things that you do every day, that really, truly count. 

I tried various permutations and combinations of the below to identify what works for me. Here are the seven different strategies that helped me push out this blog, after a four-month-long hiatus. 

1. Pencil it in: 

It is easier and more fun to believe you will write when you feel like it, but it will make a world of a difference if you schedule it in. 

Want to get back on track with your writing schedule? 9 am on a Monday morning. Butt in chair. Hands-on the keyboard. That’s when it will happen.

For the times that you can’t schedule it, have a trigger associated with it. See another creative talk about something? Write your thoughts down about it. Any way to get your creative juices flowing is good practice.

2. Stick to your schedule in any way possible: 

Had I not stopped my monthly blogs, thinking I can catch up, I wouldn’t have been here today. I think the biggest impact is the cumulative one of all the individual moments where we miss out. So, if you don’t have enough time to write your entire article, start with a paragraph. I genuinely believe that daily discipline is the key to long-term success. So find a way to not miss it, no matter how small it is. 

3. Be accountable: 

Wonder why fitness boot camps have become all the rage? It is because you have someone there to motivate you to do more and better while staying on track. 

The good news is you don’t have to have a team for this, I work remotely and run a one-person-business but I do have a set of friends that always ask when my next blog is coming out. This helps me show up, month on month. 

Side note: For the past four months, I’ve had one friend constantly ask when my next blog was out. I believe I am partially able to do this again because of him. 

4. Focus on what you have: 

The amount of time we focus on what is withheld from us….

Especially, when we slip up and get off track from our goals. Anytime we don’t do something we want to, we come up with an excuse. However, the game-changer is to work with what you have; get started anyway. For instance, I could’ve easily started with a subject from the blog bank I’ve created over time, instead, I focused on not having the bandwidth or the right topic. 

5. Don’t get hung up on getting it right:

When we focus on the optimal result, we forget to realise how beneficial every small step in the right direction is. That small step needs to be achievable and scheduled in for maximum impact. If you can’t stick to the entire schedule, try to at least do the most you can. Remember, you will get better along the way. 

PS: I get stuck in this vortex too often. 

“Progress is a spectrum, not a specific place.” 

6. Build your environment for success: 

I say this with immense belief as I sit here with my lemongrass candle lit, filling me with the hope that I will get back on track. I swear it is the first time I have felt like writing for leisure in a long, long time. Please don’t wait for motivation as I did, I realise now it is like a fickle beast, some days you are inspired and some you aren’t. A great way to overcome this hurdle and get back on track is to design your environment for success. Make sure your place of writing is somewhere you can think and hear yourself clearly. I’ve started keeping my laptop and to-do list on my bedside to remember there’s a lot more I want to do. 

7. Do what you love: 

For me, this is simple. All I care about are words – how to use them to help people and myself feel better. If writing isn’t your thing, it could be working on a fitter body or reading more books. I think these strategies are easily adaptable to making lifestyle changes and achieving your goals. 

Now if you do try any of these out, let me know how it works for you and if you’re using other hacks that might help us all, share them in the comments below.

PPS: Guess who finally FINISHED this blog 😀