Create structure where there is none

Weekends: destroyers of best laid plans.

A consistent comment I hear is, “my weekdays go so well but then the weekend comes.” This is usually followed by, “it was too hard to track but I made good choices.” The latter statement requires a post all its own so today we will focus on the former.

Weekdays have consistency. We wake up at the same time, leave the house at the same time, have our breakfast and lunch and snacks at the same time. We go to the gym and cook dinner before we relax for a few and head off to bed. And then the days we have been waiting for all week come and throw consistency out the window.

It could be running the kids to multiple games, brunch with friends, a party to attend, or a ski trip. Or for me a seminar to attend. Regardless, the biggest change is that our destination is different. So why do we abandon everything that has made us successful all week?

Success is built on consistent habits. Not M-F habits but every day. Set alarms, prep meals, have a plan. Don’t try to “wing it”. We can still live a flexible life with some structure in place. In fact, that structural integrity can allow us more spontaneity as long as we have a plan.

It becomes easy to blame our lack of progress on external sources while not doing our part to protect against the unknown. Earn your frustration by doing all you can to see results. Only then can we say we have done what we need to.