How to Stay on Track When Life Throws You Off Your Routine
It’s amazing when you finally get into a rhythm. Your mornings are productive, your planner/to-do list is full but manageable, and things start to feel steady.
Then life happened, and something threw you off.
Maybe you got sick, maybe your trip lasted longer than you planned, whatever the case, your routine fell apart. Now, you’re staring at the mess and you wonder if you’ll ever go back to how things were.
When you fall out of your routine, you can’t help but feel overwhelmed, especially if you don’t know where to begin. And the longer you’re off, the harder it is to jump back in because you want to fix everything all at once, but there’s no way to do that. Bit by bit, you start to get hopeless.
If any of this sounds familiar, keep reading because I have a bunch of tips on how to reset in a way that works and that’s sustainable.
I promise you, no matter how hard things seem, there’s always a way out/forward.
Know What Threw You Off
Before you get to fixing your routine, you have to take a minute to see what it is that threw it off in the first place.
Maybe it was just something short-term, like a bad cold? Or was it something bigger, like an injury, burnout, perhaps a major change at home?
The first step to getting back on track is to figure out what kind of disruption you’re dealing with, so you know what the best way to respond is.
If it’s something short-term, then you’ll handle that in no time. On the other hand, a longer or a more serious event will probably have you rethinking your entire routine.
Another thing that helps is to see whether the disruption was physical or emotional.
Usually, physical disruptions will affect your schedule and space. So, if something in your home needs repairing, it won’t drain your energy as much as stress or grief will.
Emotional disruptions mess with your energy and motivation and take a bit more work. But once you know what it is you’re dealing with, you can be more realistic about what needs to be done to change it.
Reset the Right Way (Not the Hard Way)
When life happens and you get disoriented by something unexpected thrown your way, it’s normal to want to jump straight back into everything all at once. But more often than not, that just creates more stress, not progress.
The point of reset is not to do more but to do something that actually works for where you are right now.
1. Trim the Excess
Get everything out of your head and onto paper. Make a list of things you feel like you need to do – the emails, appointments, chores, errands… Everything. Once you write everything down, take a closer look and think about what really needs to get done right now.
Everything else is not a priority, so see what can wait a few days or weeks and what you can hand off to somebody else.
The purpose of this step is to clear the mental clutter, not to give up on your responsibilities. You’re just choosing what matters most, so you don’t burn out trying to do everything.
2. Rebuild with Key Habits Only
Instead of pressuring yourself into rebuilding the entire routine, focus on those few habits that give you the most stability.
These are your basics: regular meals, decent sleep, and a few minutes of your day when you can plan and reflect. This is your foundation. Even if the rest of the day is chaotic, if you’ve kept up with just those few basics, it’s still progress.
Let go of the idea that you have to do it all to feel productive.
3. Get Help
Sometimes you can’t move forward on your own. If your disruption was big, trying to manage everything alone will slow you down.
Let’s look at a practical scenario. Say you live in an area where the weather shifts quickly and there are lots of winds (e.g., Kansas City, Chicago, Dallas), and the roof of your house was damaged in a storm. You’d have to call a roofing contractor to fix the issue immediately.
That could cost a lot, but what can you really do? You can’t live in a house that has a hole in its roof. The prices roofing contractors in Kansas City charge would be anywhere from $4-7 per square foot for labor/repairs, while in Chicago, it’ll be a bit higher ($8-10). Dallas will be more flexible with their pricing, at $5-10.
Yes, the problem is there, and you’ll have to pay. If you don’t and leave it unaddressed, the damage will worsen, and more problems might follow. It’s best to invest now and get it fixed so that you can focus on what's ahead of you.
The same goes for emotional disruptions. If you can’t get better on your own, see a counselor and work through whatever is bothering you with them. The right support can make a world of difference.
Conclusion
Routines fall apart, and that’s normal. It happens to everyone. One day you’re a productivity machine, the next you’re eating cold cereal for dinner, not knowing what day it is.
But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck, no. It just means you’ll need to do some work to pick yourself up and go back to “normal”.
BEFORE YOU GO:
Here are a few more posts you might like:
See my Link Party Directory for a current list of blog parties I attend each week.
FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY – Please Read Freebies Terms of Use.
(This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.)
~ SHARE THIS POST ~
Did you like this post? Do you know someone else who might enjoy it? Please take a minute to share it on Pinterest, Facebook, or your favorite social media… Thank you!
Shop
