Have you ever been completely on top of your fitness goals or disciplined in staying on top of your projects at work? Maybe this lasts for a few weeks and then something comes up. Or have you had a hectic day where you just needed to get by and couldn’t keep up with those productive habits you had been so consistent with? Trust me, I have absolutely been there and I know how frustrating it can be to get back on track.
If you’re in this position and need to get back on track, follow the strategies below. They are very simple to follow and you’ll be back to where you were in no time!
These tips include assessing what happened to get off track as well as reevaluating your goals to make sure what you’re striving to get back to aligns with your values. In addition, there are practical suggestions to strategically create habits that you can follow. The best way to approach this process will be explained, and the importance of giving yourself grace in this process.
This article gives the best strategies on how to get back on track.
How to Get Back on Track
Oftentimes, it can be more difficult than you expect to get back on track. It is normal to think, “I used to do this all the time, why is it so hard now?” This can make you feel very discouraged, but it is important to remember that with a little hard work and consistency, you can get right back where you were. Use the strategies below to help you get back on track.
1. Determine What Caused You to Get Off Track
There are many different circumstances that may have caused you to get off track. It is beneficial to determine the reason that you got off track for a few different reasons. By determining this cause, you can better prepare yourself for staying on track if you find yourself in a similar situation. This is also helpful because it could help you to get back on track.
For example, you got off track because you had a rough week and got sick or had car troubles. In these instances, once those problems are resolved, you can use these strategies to get back on track.
On the other hand, if poor time management is the reason you got off track, you will need to focus on improving your time management in order to get back on track. If you’d like to learn more about time management skills, take a look at the article below.
{ Related Post: 5 Useful Time Management Skills You MUST Know! }
2. Schedule Out Your Ideal Habits
Start by making a list of the habits you used to have that you want to start back up. Creating this list will allow you to prioritize which habits to start with because it’s not a good idea to bring them all back at once. Once you’ve chosen which habits to start with, there are a couple of ways to start incorporating them back into your daily life.
One technique is to add these items to your calendar. By writing them in, you won’t forget and I have also found that writing something in my calendar holds me more accountable for actually doing it. This article gives more information on the benefits of writing down the tasks you need to do.
Another way is to use your current habits to your advantage. For example, maybe you want to get back to going to the gym in the morning before work. To make this easier, you can set out your clothes the night before. To make this habit easier to form, you should try to combine it with one of your existing habits. In this case, you can associate setting your clothes out with putting on your pajamas. This way, when you’re in your closet getting changed, like you do every night, you can grab out your gym clothes as well.
3. Start With Small Steps Instead of Trying to Go All in at Once
As I mentioned above, you should not try to incorporate all of your habits back into your routine right away. Instead, you need to decide which are the most important to you and start with those. This will make it easier to get back on track and help you to be more consistent.
Even though you may be thinking that it will be easier to jump right back into everything because you’ve been there before, that’s not always the case. To get back on track and stay on track, the best approach is to start small and slowly add items as you feel ready.
Another important aspect is your mindset. For example, maybe you want to start going to the gym before work 5 days a week. When returning to this habit, you miss the first day you were planning to go. If this is the case, you can still go to the gym 4 days a week which is far better than getting zero days in.
In addition, if you miss the first 4 days you had planned, you should still go on that final day. This is for the same reason, one day is better than nothing. An all-or-nothing mindset can cause you to lose motivation, so remember that incomplete or imperfect action is better than no action.
{ Related Post: 8 Powerful Morning Routine Habits You Should Start Tomorrow }
4. Have Someone to Hold You Accountable
Finding someone to hold you accountable can make getting back on track much easier. Even if this person isn’t trying to create the same habits as you are, they can still remind you of your goals. This can be a friend, family member, or even an accountability coach.
Something as simple as a quick check-in each day can help you stick to these goals to get back on track. For more guidelines and tips on this, take a look at this article.
5. Adjust Your Surroundings to Help You
Your surroundings, especially the people you surround yourself with make a huge impact on your life. For that reason, if you have goals that do not easily align with your current surroundings, they will be almost impossible to stick with. While it may be difficult, it is important to be honest with yourself about this one. Consider if your surroundings may have contributed to you falling off track, or if that is making it more difficult to get back on track. If that’s the case, you should focus on how you can alter your environment to work for you.
For example, if you are trying to stay more focused at work, maybe you can try to clean up your desk to avoid distractions. If you are trying to have a more active lifestyle, maybe you aim to surround yourself with like-minded people.
6. Take a Step Back to Reevaluate if This is Something You Actually Want
You may not have considered this, but it is important to take a step back and be sure that you really do want to get back on the track you were on. Maybe there is a reason you got off track in the first place. You should think about if it aligns with your values and will contribute to your long-term goals. If so, you should absolutely aim to get back on track. If not, you should think about how you can reframe those habits to better fit your values and goals.
In addition, it is important to remember that it is never too late to get back on track. Maybe it’s been a year or even multiple years since you were consistent with those habits you want to get back to. It’s not too late. Just stay focused and you will get back on track.
7. Consider taking a different approach
Sometimes even if you want to get back on track to where you once were, taking the exact same route to get there is not always the best idea. Likely, it will be easier to get back on track than it was to originally pave that path. In addition, you are likely facing different obstacles than before. For those reasons, don’t feel like you have to follow the exact same steps as before to get back on track.
{ Related Post: How to Stay Consistent to Reach Your Goals Fast: Step-by-Step Guide }
8. Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself
It can be easier to feel discouraged when trying to get back on track. It is normal for this to be challenging, so allow yourself to make some mistakes as long as you’re always trying to make some progress forward.
Sticking to small goals and celebrating small wins will make it easier to stay motivated and consistent. For some ideas on how to celebrate small wins, take a look at this article.
9. Start Right Away
Waiting for the perfect time to start will only make it take longer to reach your goal. You do not need to wait until the first day of the year, month, week, or even a new day. As soon as you determine the habits you will be adding to your routine, there is no reason to put off starting. It may feel challenging to get the ball rolling but once you get some momentum, it will start to feel easier.
Thank you for reading and I hope you will use these strategies to get back on track! If you have any comments or questions, leave them below or reach out to ourteam@wellroundedyou.com.
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