When You Have a Hard Time Getting Back Into Your Schedule

For the month of May, I decided to buckle down and start spewing out blog posts to fill up my June blogging calendar. It was hard and I accomplished almost every post I wanted to write (though there were a few projects that sadly didn't work out). Then I made the mistake of not writing anything blog related for about a week...or three... Don't get me wrong, it was very refreshing and sometimes you need to step back to rest your mind. But when I came back to my blog, I was so refreshed I didn't feel like doing anything. Including sitting myself down to write this post.

But here we are, m'dear. You, me, and these five tips to help get you back into your blogging schedule.

1. Make adjustments

If you're like me and you're coming back from a much needed break, you're probably looking at your To Do list and thinking, "How am I going to get all this done in one day?" That's when you make adjustments.

When you see something on your list you don't feel like doing - or if you whole list feels that way - pick the top thing that MUST get done that day and break it down. Set a timer for ten, fifteen or twenty five minutes and begin working on that task. By the time the timer goes off, evaluate what you've done. If your work has pulled you out of your funk and you feel like you can continue, then keep going. If not, check your task as done for the day, take a five minute break then begin the next task and set your timer again.

Whatever you do, don't force yourself. Take your time with what you're working on and respect yourself for not feeling up to certain things. (But of course, if you don't feel like doing anything, you may want to reevaluate. More on that below.)

2. Be generous // Choose wisely

Okay, so you don't want to do it. Like, you really, really don't want to do it. (It can be anything.) So when it's the end of the day, and the thing you didn't want to do still isn't done, don't be too hard on yourself. There's always tomorrow. <-- Those words are only for those who decide they actually will get the task done tomorrow and it is not for those who tell themselves this just to feel better about not doing it.

Choose wisely without forcing yourself to do it.

3. Brak-brak-break it down

When you sit down with a nice, steaming pizza set before you, you don't eat it all at once (you want to, but your body simply won't allow it). Instead, you take one slice - or maybe two - and bite into it, taking your time to chew and swallow before chomping down again.

That's what you need to do with your schedule.

Don't force yourself to accomplish the big things all at once. You won't get them all done in a timely manner, nor will they be done in the best way they can be done. Trust me, I'm trying this now. My current to do list says, "Write 1500 words", "Complete two business growth steps", "Upgrade email plan" and "Begin constructing eBook". What could I be doing to utilize my time? I could prioritize and decide which big tasks MUST be done today. Or I could accomplish pieces of them by breaking them down into bite-sized tidbits.

Do what works best for you.

4. Reevaluate

So, you don't want to do anything. You don't want to write, blog or read. All you want to do is watch YouTube till your eyes burn. We all have days like that, and sometimes you have to stop forcing yourself to do your work and give in to the video watching urge. But other times, you have to reevaluate.

Why is it that you're so resistant to getting your work done? Is it because you're afraid? ("Oh, my readers don't want to hear from me.") Is it because you're overwhelmed? ("That task is too big for me to handle.") Is it because you're procrastinating? ("I'll get it done later... tomorrow... next week...")

Whatever the case, it's time for you to step back, take a deep breath and decide what it is you're fighting. No matter if it's fear, your inner critics or procrastination that's bugging you, only you can fight back and say "no more". Only you can break free of this. Only you have the power to stand up with confidence, look your problem in the eye and challenge it to a duel (and win).

It's up to you to decide what gets accomplished.

5. Ease back into it

The last tip I have for you is to make the transition from your break going back into your schedule a slow, smooth one. Don't try to do dunk yourself back into your work because it will feel like diving into a pool full of ice cold water - you will shiver and ask yourself, "why?" before becoming completely and totally numb. Which can lead to what I like to call "Blogger Burnout". (AKA, you're doing too much, girl, and you need to chill.)

So take your time and don't push yourself too hard. You don't want to fall into the ice water, do you?

But refraining from pushing yourself can be hard - or not hard at all - so how does one avoid Blogger Burnout?

Here's how:

• Take breaks often (Don't be afraid to nap!).
• Prioritize.
• Work for small periods of time.
• DON'T multitask.
• Breathe.
• Eat, sleep, and shower as needed.
• Take another nap.
• Go outside, play in the...weather.
• Clean! Haha, just kidding.
• Have fun.

If you need a towel and a friend, feel free to email me at: rosecolflesh@gmail.com. :)

Conclusion

Though getting back into a schedule can be a bit like getting into an ice bath, doing things like dipping your toe in, making adjustments and saving up money for hot water can greatly improve the process. You still have to get in the water, but once you get there, you'll realize things aren't so bad. ;)

How do you manage your schedule?

I hope you enjoyed this post! Please answer this question in the comments below, because I am uber interested in what you guys have to say. :)

xx Nicole Rose