Yesterday was Day 1 of 75 Hard for me and it went great! I feel like I have more time or am more organized in my day when I go to the gym after lunch rather than before. But I can’t go after lunch every day. 

Yesterday I went after lunch, and that’s why fitting all my various activities in the 75 Hard Challenge was not difficult. Let’s see how I manage later in the week.

I have a suspicion that I have enough time in my day. I just have to get tighter with it. I have to make sure I am not wasting it all on Instagram (yes, that is one big place of improvement!). And if that saved time could give me back both space to do better things (reading?), and my energy from not having wasted it on the drama of other people’s lives (aka social media!)…win win!

The hardest part has to be making time for meditation in the afternoon, and for sketchbooking (drawing, painting- anything goes). But I do find both of these activities very enjoyable…when I do get to them.

The best case scenario would be for me to make some time in my regular day that is part of the schedule. For example, I always write blog posts after breakfast, or I do my Duolingo lesson just before leaving for yoga in the morning, or I take a cat nap right after lunch. Having made permanent time for stuff during my day means I don’t forget about them, and they get done.

But waiting for an activity to happen whenever time allows is a recipe for disaster for me. It may go well for a couple of days, but it’s a failure waiting to happen. Sooner rather than later. Because it’s easy for time to run away on a busy day without me having remembered that I needed to do something important to me.

Another challenge is the weekend. My weekends have no structure, or atleast no structure that allows for my solo activities. My husband and I spend a lot of time together, and at other times I am catching up with the chores around the house, or meal prepping for the next week. To make time for working in my sketchbook, or to go away to meditate will be challenging. It will definitely take some effort from me to make it happen for 10 weekends in a row!

The good thing is that I am anticipating my problem areas for being consistent during my version of 75 Hard. And having recognized these problem areas, I have a better chance of finding ways to overcome my hurdles, and be more successful than if I just went though it without thinking about the blocks I am sure to run into sooner rather than later.

So far what makes sense to me is that I begin my work day with 15 minutes of working in my sketchbook. On studio days this will serve as a warmup. On non-studio days this will serve as a focus activity that will hopefully help with getting stuff done without my brain running amok. 

And my afternoon meditation will happen, as I foresee it, before I begin my kitchen work to prepare for dinner and next day lunches.

These plans may not work. But at least I have a plan. Which means I have a starting point from which I can figure out my next steps, and what needs improvement and how. Dialing in is easier when there is already a plan or a process. 

And with our very all-over-the-place weekend, I think I will just have to just figure it out day by day. The best I can think of is to put my 75 Hard activities on a To-Do List for the weekend days, so I don’t forget about them. If I have a list to tick off on the weekends, there is a great chance they will get done. 

These ways of getting things done- planning, putting them in a fixed spot during my day, or putting them on a short TO-DO list for the day- have helped me in the past. I have hope they will get me through 75 Hard challenge. 

If I need to change things around, I will write about them in a future post, and give updates on my progress.

Now, onto Day 2!