Monday, August 19, 2013

Planning and Unplanning in Weight Loss, Work, and Life I Guess.

One of many calendars in our home--this is clearly health/beauty related with each day's work out and beauty treatment. It hangs on our fridge and I love ticking each work out off. I have another calendar in my office that details when bills are due, special events, birthdays, etc. It's a sickness.

Having a plan is my tip top favorite thing.

This summer especially I've just realized that I can plan and plan but in the end things will always change and things can always go awry. I am a planner to my core--I make my breakfasts for the week on Sunday nights, I lay out my outfits the night before (a habit that stretches back to my childhood), and I am always thinking of my next plan for my weight loss, career, life, etc. I thrive on consistency and feel calmest when I have a game plan for the upcoming day. But, know what? I'm learning that sometimes shit just doesn't go according to plan...and that's actually okay. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not throwing all my calendars into the trash but I'm just leaning into it when things don't go according to plan. As someone who is losing weight/adopting a healthier lifestyle I plan every meal for the week, I write down which work outs need to be done on which days (see psychosis above), and I plan to eat at the same times every day. Lately I've been in situations where the food I prepped isn't available to me or my schedule goes wonky and I can't eat when I should. Normally I'd fly off the rails a bit and allow myself to indulge in junk food or completely skip a meal (leading to a binge later). Each day I'm learning to make a healthy choice despite not having exactly what I planned to have in front of me. 

As a freelancer I think learning to go with the flow instead of the plan is vital. Though I know being such a planner is a big part of what makes me good at what I do (it's easier to plan events and coordinate media interviews when you are a crazy person who plans down to the fine details), learning to go with the flow is making me a better businesswoman. I am very lucky to work for an agency I love and do a job that I actually really enjoy and be surrounded with smart and positive people. Sometimes when things don't go according to plan at work, I remind myself of how lucky I am and I lean into that swerve.

I'm happy that after 27 years I'm finally learning to take things in stride as they change and I keep reminding myself that a plan isn't always necessary. Sometimes you have to lean into the swerve and accept what happens...and maybe try to enjoy it too.

Are you a planner? How do you deal with chaos?

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You look so pretty today.