Howdy, folks.

I’m here! After months away busy navigating the all-consuming waters of newtime mama-hood, I am ready to dust off the old blog and get back at it. Slow and steady, slowly but surely…

Which brings me to what I’ve been learning a lot of lately, and what I wanted to share with you today: Not everything in life has to be an all-or-nothing ordeal.

I think before having a baby, I was able to get away with that “go big or go home” mentality with healthy living, daily quiet times, etc… But with a new baby on board, I’ve had to adjust my thinking about those favorite pastimes.

FOR EXAMPLE, I loved working out. Just moving and sweating and hopping around… I love the energy and accomplishment and the overall physical, mental, emotional benefits of physical activity. But once I fell off that bandwagon, (and I fell HARD), I found that I was extremely unmotivated to jump back on if I didn’t see on the horizon an opportunity to do it hardcore or consistently again.

Well… if I ever want to work out again (or read, or blog, or eat well!), I’m going to have to get over that. And quickly! Because what my workouts and quiet times and blog posts will have to look like nowadays are “the best I can, when I can.”

It’s different. I honestly miss the old all-or-nothing mentality. But it is one of those many aspects of control that I need to surrender and learn to adapt and grow in. Rolling with the punches. Sanctification.

So in that same vein, here is an inspired article on how to “get back in it” when it comes to falling off the wagon of a favorite pastime. If you’ve been pitifully dragging your feet behind the wheels of something you love, (like I have for the last nine months!), then hopefully these tips can help give that extra “oompf” you need to just hop back on!

1. Ditch the schedule.

This may sound strange. You’d think that schedule and routine are your only friends when it comes to working out, quiet times, etc… but I have found that scheduling in those things actually hurt my cause. Here’s the thing: there’s a reason I fell off the wagon in the first place. Before Baby, I had a routine of waking up, working out, eating breakfast and reading my Bible… Well, when I wasn’t able to stick to that routine, then it all went out the window. Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. (See how fitting that expression is nowadays?)

So, no schedule. Now, what?

2. Be an opportunity-seizer!

When the fluidity of life doesn’t fit in a schedule, learn to see the opportunities that arise and jump on them. Baby’s asleep? Throw on those shoes! Appointment canceled? Crack open that book! When I seize the opportunities as they arise instead of sit around and analyze them, I find myself doing more and “planning to-do” less. They may not be as long or as consistent as I would like, but they actually happen.

3. Skip the pretense.

One time I decided I was going for a run. I changed my clothes, tied back my hair, picked out a playlist, and grabbed a pre-workout snack. I dug around for my comfortable running shoes, checked the weather, topped of my water bottle, set my running watch… It was when I was double-knotting my laces when my husband looked at me and said, “Uh…how about you try just going for a run?”

I don’t know why I do this, but I tend to make a big deal out of things that are essentially pretty easy to just do. Do yourself the favor and skip the pretense. The lighting doesn’t have to be perfect and the house clean to do a quiet time. Just sit down and read the book!

4. Assign a day.

This helped me a lot when I found that accomplishing one or two tasks a day with a newborn was the typical rate at which errands get done around here. I used to get overwhelmed by my one or two-hour window to get things done. So much to do in so little time… Where do I start?? Analysis paralysis, my husband calls it.

If you have several bandwagons that you want to jump back on, I would suggest assigning a day to each one. For me, Mondays were my clean days. (Yes, cleaning your house is a bandwagon in which you can fall off of. Uh, for like, dayssss). Tuesdays were work days, (I work part-time from home). Wednesday workouts, Thursday reading, etc. I found it liberating to, when I had a free moment that day, know exactly what I wanted to accomplish. I didn’t stare hopelessly at my list of want-to’s, but instead jumped right into my “assigned” fun activity for the day.

5. Be flexible.

Lastly, give your wagon-riding a large girth. So maybe you’re not working out again everyday or eating 100% organically. Whatevs. Do the best you can, when you can, and don’t get down on yourself when you deviate the path a little bit. Try considering your goals of healthy eating or being in the Word as overall lifestlyes instead of hard and fast resolutions. You’re less likely to do wagon-hopping that way. :)

Question of the day:
What about you all? Have you found ways to jump back on any wagons that you’ve fallen off? Please, share!