Setting myself up for success instead of failure.

Due to health issues, every day is different for me. I never know if I'll be able to sleep at night (I constantly fail at getting a full, uninterrupted eight hours), if my self-appointed therapy cat will leave me alone  (he has this gross habit of pawing my mouth--YUCK), or if what I'd eaten that day will prevent my brain from shutting down. 

Trigger foods--margarine and anything else processed--keep my thoughts chugging along on a circular track while I'm trying to fall asleep.

However, last night I crashed, despite my cat's best efforts to interrupt my sleep. I'd gone shopping yesterday and then worked on my computer for 6 hours. When I decided to turn in, I took my pharmacist's advice and popped a Melatonin supplement.

I woke after sleeping almost 6 hours, feeling refreshed. Though I was still a little tired, I pushed myself to get up. 

I'm glad I did.

I was able to set myself up for success today using a system I'd been trying to implement for years. 

I was always making to-do lists but struggled to stick with them. For some reason, they didn't motivate me the way I needed or wanted them to. So I decided to revamp my to-do list.

I put together a workbook that didn't force me to set a rigid schedule (mistake number one for me, because as I'd said, my life is never the same from one day to the next). I could work with my waking hours using the workbook's outline. I also added short motivational sayings at the top of each day's to-do list. 

Most of the sayings are my spin on things I've heard before and some of them are my own original thoughts. Interestingly enough, after working on my to-do list the motivational sayings stayed with me, prodding me to be productive with little effort.

So starting this past Sunday, I implemented my workbook's to-do list. Sunday, I sat down at my desk for five blocks of productive time and accomplished more than I'd have expected. 

I repeated the process on Monday with the same results: writing and editing plus getting some housework done.

Tuesday was different. Six hours of pure productivity and I didn't even feel as if I was pushing myself to work.

What a delightful change!

The delicious aroma of homemade soup is wafting into my office--made fresh this morning. That's another thing my workbook covers, how to prepare homemade meals in less time than you'd think during "business" hours. 

Again, I wrote my ultimate to-do list to help me, but I love to share things that work for me with others. 

This system works for me and I know it'll work for other stay-at-home writers who struggle to maintain basic housekeeping, make wholesome meals, and squeeze in time for exercise.