In the past few weeks, I’ve begun to make some rules for myself.
My personality is so type B that it’s probably a C, so I’ve always balked at the idea of any kind of rules or structure. It’s a combination of flying by the seat of my pants, and never wanting to feel boxed into anything.
But in the past two months, I’ve snagged only a handful of workouts between travel, holidays, and life. I’ve felt sleep-deprived, exhausted and completely off-kilter. And so, as was suggested in the book I’m currently listening to “Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives,” I’ve set some rules for myself.
I mean as long as no one is telling me what to do…
I’ve created a few basic rules - when I need to be in bed , when I need to be out of bed, and the hardest so far, when I need to put my phone away for the night.
And as strange as it sounds, because I’ve already made these decisions ahead of time, I’ve been able to stick to my rules. I used to sit on my couch on a Wednesday night, stoned from fatigue at 9:30 and try to talk myself into getting up, brushing my teeth, and crawling into bed. As silly as it sounds, I could easily put off going to bed for an hour. Many nights I’d crawl into bed by 10:30, only to read my phone for another hour and not shut the light off until midnight.
But now, I don’t need to decide anything. (See earlier post on decision fatigue). I’ve already made my decision.
And my last rule might be the most surprising of all. Mostly because it wasn’t a rule before.
I need to train three times per week. That’s my rule.
As I told a few clients last week, much to their surprise, I’ve worked out only a handful of times since November. And I work in a gym for crying aught laud (which is how we’d say it in Pittsburgh).
I need to work out, not just for my health, but for my sanity. I’ve prioritized everything and everyone else in these past few months. So I’ve made it a rule. I will strength train every Monday and Wednesday. That’s my rule. The decision is made. It’s on my schedule.
Because it’s not just clients trying to get back on track in the new year. Us coaches often need fresh starts too.
Happy New Year.