Spring semester classes have been finished for nearly a month, and I'm still struggling to get into a routine. I came close two weeks ago and I got cocky, thinking I could just iron out a few wrinkles and it'd be smooth sailing (and maybe I'd leave the clichés behind me as well).
Yeah. Sure.
As it turns out, for one reason or another, that first week came the closest to the routine I want to put in place. I haven't given up (it is only June, after all), but if I want to get serious and move ahead with purpose, I need to keep a few things in mind.
Keep it simple. Now is not the time to try fancy new plans. If it's not broken, don't change it. If it can wait, let it. Trying to do it all is overrated.Keep it consistent. The same things go in the same places -- time wise and stuff wise. Predictability might be boring under some circumstances, but it can be a lifesaver when the road is bumpy, winding, and/or under construction. And for many of us, there's even something comforting about a routine.
Try to avoid making a contribution -- to the pile-up, that is. Strategies like Give it Five! and Don't put it down, put it Away! can keep things from getting worse. While it seems that putting one more thing on the pile won't make that much difference, that one more thing you set down now becomes one more thing you have to sort later. Put it where it belongs, or start a homeless bin for all the loose ends without a location to call their own. That way, you need to look in only one place to find that thing you put in a safe place.
Let's face it -- there will always be those times in life that defy routine. Figuring out how to simultaneously stick to basics while still moving forward can be the winning combination we need to take our organizing, planning and scheduling to a new and improved level.
One step at a time.
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