90 Day Check Up: No Faith in the 21 Day Rule

I've been blogging  about the live like vacation lifestyle since February and can honestly say, I've hit the 90 day slump.

When they say it takes 21 days to establish a habit.........they are wrong!!!!!
Don't believe it.   It takes months!  

If it only took 21 days, we'd solve all the world's problems thousands of years ago!

Here's my assessment and where I think I began to slide.

1.  Still getting enough sleep?  Self  Score  80%
Weekdays I get to bed by 9:30.  One day I had to cram in some paperwork and stayed up until 11:30.  I just had to get it done or I would not have been able to sleep.  Weekends have not been easy.  They day really flies by and who wants to get to sleep early when you could enjoy two or three more late hours......  Maybe my score should be around 70 or 65.

2.  Is my day systematized?  Self Score  90%
I am giving myself a higher score on this because I do like my routines.  The downfall however is that this is still worker bee stuff and i am locked in busyiness and not seeing any forward movement in work or hobbies.  I seem to be locked in some stagnation.  I feel calmer and more easy going, but would like to be more productive.

3.  Knocking out the unproductive  Self Score 70%
I could do more with my time in the evenings.  I waste a lot of time reading on the internet, short fluffy things like Facebook.

4.  Make your work joyful to yourself and others   Self Score 90%
I like my work days.  I feel less overwhelmed.  I work with my members where they are and try to teach them new things.  I would like to be more creative however.  I could offer more services, but I need to plan it out with some type of system that will still allow for individualized attention.

5. Wiggle Room and Taking Control of My Plate Self Score  90%
 I have wiggle room in my day.  I have taken some things off my plate lately.

6. Domino Effect Self Score  95%
I've resumed more healthy habits that have provided a ripple effect in my day, activities.  The sleep factor has been impactful.  I've been more focused on diet/fitness.
(Future topics in the works here)

7. The Principle of Comfort Zone Inertia  Self Score  60%
Yeah, I show no mercy to myself here.  I want to do more, learn more, be more creative, pursue a spiritual vocation outside of my work in health care.   It's still on the back burner.

I want to develop this blog more.  I haven't unveiled the radical health makeover portion that I have hinted about.  I am experimenting on myself, obviously, the work is ongoing.

My average score is 82%.  Is it a reliable, valid score?  Who know.....but it was fun to look back at the last 90 days.  I would say the last 30 were a bit regressive because I wasn't blogging as often as I did early on.  For that reason I should lower  my score.

So, definitely toss out the 21 day rule.  Keep the focus....daily.

More to come.

What's a Clock Cushion?

(Check out these cushions.)
When you admit you are human and not super-human you use a clock cushion.

A clock cushion is extra time set aside in your day to handle unplanned things that come up.

A clock cushion is when you over estimate how long it takes to run an errand to take into consideration driving time, traffic hold ups,  getting interrupted, running into someone you hadn't seen in a while.

A clock cushion is when you set aside time to go to the bathroom.

No joke!  There are days when it seems nearly impossible to get a bathroom break.

The clock cushion is sort of like the Principle of Wiggle Room, but the clock cushion is for smaller time frames.

The Principle of Wiggle Room should be a reminder to not over book yourself.  Don't bite off more than you can chew......

It Has Not Been a Live Like Vacation Week: Enter Wiggle Room

The last 2 1/2 days didn't go as planned.  I was overbooked, over tired, and had to make a late evening bank run.  There was a sick kid, paper work not done.......and I was wolfing down lunch.  At least it was a salad.

Not all days are relaxing.  Some days are downright irritating.  But you keep pushing forward.  It doesn't last.  I remained focused enough today to get the paperwork finished and clean up the mess on my desk.  The recovery period doesn't take too long if you keep up with the steps.   One day isn't going to throw you off track.

This is where the Principle of Wiggle Room comes in.

If you leave space in your schedule for down time or catch up time, you can prevent the untimely melt downs that make you declare you had a bad day.

You do it for bigger events in your life, so do it for the daily plans.

When you take a long drive you schedule in time for rest stops or slow traffic.  It helps to apply the principle of wiggle room to your routine.

Melt downs can be averted.  Use the Principle of Wiggle Room.

Okay, so I don't sound original.  It's just the same as taking extra breaks during your day to relax or catch your second wind.........  if you're ready for fast balls, the minor upheavals won't sound like major upheavals.