Life Hack for the Hot Mess Express
This post is not for you born organized people. This is only for the people who have the best intentions, big dreams, lots of energy, and way too little to show for it. You’re distractible. One moment you just can’t get up off your butt, and the next you are deep down a rabbit hole trying to find just the right image to go with your blog post…. You’re harsh on yourself and often find yourself feeling pretty down about the whole thing.
“What you need is structure!”
IS THAT RIGHT, LINDA?? WOW I WISH I HAD THOUGHT OF THAT.
Give up on creating structure for yourself. It’s just not in your wheelhouse. What you need to do is go hitch your wagon to someone else’s structure. That’s what I did.
Is it bad to say that part of the reason I go to church has nothing to do with religion? Weekends are the ultimate in unstructured time, and I used to fritter them away like a pro. This meant on Monday my family and I were never ready for the week, the house stayed messy, and there was no regular dinner time. And there was plenty of stress.
To be honest, I started going to church because my life was a disaster and I needed some spiritual support. I got that, but also got so much more. To go to church on time, we had to get up on time, which was work, but it felt good to be up. We had to be dressed nicely, which also felt good. We went to a nice organized, calm place with people who were happy to see us. It made me feel like I was doing something good for my family. Also, since we were already out, I started going to the grocery store more regularly which made the rest of the week go a little better.
What happened was the previously impossible: I got a routine. I got a HABIT. Not coincidentally, in the 11 or so years since I started going to church regularly, my business has reached levels I never dreamed of. And I am as happy as I have ever been!
I’m not telling you hot messes to start going to church if that’s not your thing. But I am telling you to go somewhere. I also joined a gym, where the only class I could go to was at 5:30 in the ever-loving morning. But I was fat, and something had to give. (I should mention, I’m a HUGE gym quitter. Or I was.) But when I found a place where someone else set the schedule, someone else told me what to do, where there were nice people who seemed to like me, I actually wanted to keep going. Seven years later, and I’m still going regularly. At the butt crack of dawn. I know, it’s crazy, but that’s who I am now.
So whose structure are you going to hitch your wagon to? The best options have a social element and cost little or no money. That’s why church works. But you could also join a board or committee that meets regularly. Maybe there’s a running club or pickup basketball league in your community. Look around and find something that feels like a good fit, and before long, you might just—gasp—start being that person who actually has their act together.