How to get back on track?

How to get back on track? It is a general question. We all experience setbacks and routine interruptions and illness that completely derail our progress. Then the question comes of how to get back on track. I am completely off track owing to the stubborn flu that has taken over our lives for close to a month now. Health goals, family-related goals, and content goals have all gone out the window at this point. Now it is 7 pm and my husband and son have gone for their long overdue haircuts. So I opened up my laptop to make a simple strategy for getting back on track. What better time to share it with you all right?

The key mindset points are:

• Keep it simple and realistic to ensure you can ease into a good routine
• Stay compassionate to oneself in the journey
• It is okay to not be thriving all the time
• Consistency is key rather than going fully in for a few days and then not doing anything at all

Create a SMART Plan

Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound goals are the way to go whether you have financial goals, fitness goals, beauty goals, or any goals.

Examples

Instead of saying I want hydrated skin, I started using this mask even during my illness while I was sorting out the laundry, and staying consistent has given me good results. This has been a getting back on track with regard to skincare for me. I even sleep with this mask on.

Winter’s dry hair has never been a problem for me but not oiling regularly and skipping haircuts owing to being sick for a long time has given my curls a dry texture. The first instinct I had was the overwhelm that I have to prepare the oil, spend time on massaging and winter does not allow me to keep the oil for as long as I would like, etc. So many ifs and buts and excuses! How did I get back on track? I used my Ayurvedic oil for time being and used my hair mask with every wash. It is not life-changing but, has kept my hair issues at bay. Small simple steps can help to prevent the problem from getting out of hand.

I specifically made this video for 2023 and I do the tapping almost every day to align with what I want and to not give into feelings of lack and excuses

So how do we get on track?

We analyze the pressing problems and address them from the most important to the least. We see the most effective yet doable solution to the problem at hand. If we have a dozen things to do for every solution we have a tendency to not do anything at all owing to overwhelm. This is why it is important to keep it simple and stay consistent. I have mentioned the Pareto principle in an older post. It is knowing what one thing I can do now that will have the most impact. It prevents wasting time.

Specific, Realistic and Measurable Goals

I had a 10k steps per day goal last year and I kept up with it mostly however, now I will have to ease into it considering the long break and health issues. So the measurable goal setting for my fitness is to do my regular stretching routine every day and start with 4k steps. Setting the number of steps is the process of specifying the goal. Using an app on my phone that will track my steps is measuring the goal. This is the best way to keep track. You can use Habit tracker printouts or apps and actually track your progress daily.

Setting a smaller goal allows one to ease into it and build or rebuild the habit of doing something. Resistance is less and eventually, it gets easier and bigger goals can be set.

I would like to end this post by wishing you all a very happy 2023. Stay hydrated, keep it simple and enjoy every moment. Life is not all about productivity so enjoy the simple things and fill up your gratitude journal.

Stay blessed!