This Week: Day 2

Jun 17 2008 2:00 PM3 commentsAdd comment

Monday went well. I got to the gym for an hour of cardio, went to bed at a semi-reasonable hour (11:30 PM), ate at home for both lunch and dinner, and washed two loads of laundry. I didn't post my photo for the day (though I did take it), and I hardly had any putzing-around time, but I'm relatively pleased with the choices I made. Plus I got to watch The Mole at the gym, which was mildly entertaining.

By far the hardest part was getting to bed on time. I actually wanted to be in bed by 10:30, so I could go to the gym early this morning. But by the time I got home from work and ate dinner and finished the laundry, it was 9 PM. Thus, I didn't even get home from the gym until 10:30. I don't know how I could have done everything I wanted to do and still have been asleep for at least seven hours.

Maybe if I'd gotten to the gym early Monday morning, which would have required me to get to bed early on Sunday, which I didn't. So the key, then, is to start with an early bedtime on Sunday night, and don't mess it up. There's very little room for error.

Thing is, I generally prefer exercising early in the morning. It means that when I get home from work, I don't have to worry about dragging myself back out to the gym. But when it comes to getting enough sleep vs. 6 AM gym time, I am always going to choose the former.

I've noticed that following a This Week sort of plan requires serious concentration. Instead of letting my mind and attention ramble, I have to focus on making sure that I get things done by a specific time. If I don't, it all starts piling up, and suddenly it's late and I'm stuck. One slip-up — one extra errand or chore — one scheduled event — and the entire thing can fall to pieces. One "late" night, and I have to sleep "late" the next morning, so I have to go to the gym in the evening, which results in another "late" night...

Maybe it'll get easier. Maybe this is all just the inevitable result of making changes to my schedule. I sure hope so.

And anyway, I went to the gym yesterday! and slept for eight hours! and didn't go out to eat! which is an accomplishment no matter how you look at it.