There are a few good brain hacks out there … like changing the batteries in your smoke detector at daylight savings. Leaving your keys with your dish in the refrigerator so that you won’t forget it. Putting your alarm clock across the room so you’re forced to get out of bed. 5-4-3-2-1-GO! Making small tweaks to your calendar with the seasons change.

We all got it – that running list of what’s going on in our heads. And then life happens. Just this morning I pulled my sock drawer all the way out and placed it on the bed beside me. I sat in the middle and went through the pile, throwing away (Finally!!!) those with holes in the toe, the ones that are stretched out and fall (useless), the mixed-match pairs that I’ve been ignoring. It’s something I’ve been craving to do for a while, but haven’t gotten around to. Sometimes you just need to get in front of the ball, right? I found 6 – 6! lonely socks that didn’t match each other, and didn’t have partners. How long have they been taking up space? For about the last month the desire to clean up my sock collection has been weighing on me. Because for the last like 4 months every time I needed a pair, or did laundry and started the rolling process – I rushed it, or I did the chore at a time when I wasn’t focused and just going through the motions – I chose to ignore the chaos. I’ve been allowing it to drive me crazy.  …Sometimes, that happens with life.

Taking the time to routinely re-evaluate and re-organize yourself will keep you in front of the ball. I feel 10 lbs. lighter just organizing my sock drawer! Imagine what it feels like to see what’s ahead of you from a brighter lens. When going through your calendar you are engaging with YOUrself. Do you really need to do that? Can you push that appointment back to give you some breathing room? Did you over book yourself? Is there a nice balance to your week? Did you schedule something too early the day after a night out? Did you give yourself enough time to do it all?, and not have to rush and push through the day? The nice weather is coming, and you want to enjoy it along with everyone else. Is there a light week coming up where you might actually be able to squeeze in a few days off work? Instead of always saying to your friends “let’s get together for lunch one day” – how about you actually make sure you have lunch one day soon?  Uh-Oh – double booked and didn’t realize it? … be honest now with the person you’re going to need to bail on.

Reorganizing the sock drawer is one thing, but what if something big in life finds its way to you – like meeting a new date?, or someone close to you gets sick and you want to be there for them. It’s times like this that we often get stuck playing catch up after the fact, and we exhaust ourselves. We also didn’t allow ourselves to recover emotionally or physically from the unexpected. Yes, you look at your calendar (almost) every day, but to look at the weeks ahead you usually just turn to that date, plug something in, and flip back. Studying your routine on a routine basis and keeping YOUurself in mind is a practice of self-love. And really listening to your body’s needs and wants is self care.

This is exactly why I have been quiet this month. I had so much going on, and I was really beginning to feel tired. I was taking the time out every day to rest but really sitting down and looking at my calendar opened my eyes to exactly why I was so tired. I was making tweaks, but I had too much and I was ignoring it. And my body said STOP. For the first few days I found myself sleeping more. I was getting frustrated for being lazy and I tried pushing myself. Allergies started kicking in and my head was getting foggy from the pollen – I was literally living in a haze. And the more I tried to push myself, and started calling myself lazy, the more my back started to ache and more rest was what my body demanded. I had no choice but to slow down. After a couple of days I said ok, just a little bit. Nope, still too much. So I relaxed and allowed myself to rest guilt free. I ignored all the morning routines I used to hack myself into submission and productivity, and I rested some more – I went with it – It was about 3 weeks worth. Then like magic I jumped up and felt energy – – but I paused and said let’s not burn the candle too quickly. I looked at what is coming up and I made some decisions.

Now I ‘m excited to get back to my morning hacks, my eating schedule, my sleep routine – and it’s all getting done because I feel fresh. I’m ready to get back to You! I left you hanging with no explanations as to why – you probably thought something bad happened to me, or that I gave up on you. I am so full of ideas I am trying to figure out how I’m gonna get it all to you. I’m reminded of why being mindful is key, and of the the need to practicing a good pace, and not to burn out – You! You need me … and I need You too. You’re my inspiration, and I’m ready to show you.