Help! I’ve Fallen (Off Track) And I Can’t Get Up

Help! I’ve fallen off track and I can’t get up. Yeah, well, hey friends. Welcome to today’s episode of Help. I fall off track. Nobody all seriousness. We’re gonna tackle a topic that a lot of people struggle with, um, and that is falling off track. That’s getting out of rhythm with our routines and not showing up as the person that we know that we can show up. That could be with your workouts, your eating, you’re going to bed as specific. I mean, there’s so many different things that that could, yeah. Yeah. And today I get the honor of being her coaching client, which most people have to go into the the ring for. It’s very true. I just get to step right in. Um, but yeah, so I’m it’s this episode has come at a good time because I’ve completely fallen out of the routine, very simple routine that works for me, um, to keep me out of procrastination, to keep me out of energy-sucking habits, um, and to just keep me productive. Um so we’re gonna talk about why and how to you know pull myself back up and um and be so comfortable doing that. So comfortable, yeah. It was actually it was, it was being comfortable and uh and and just why we fall off, like why it’s important to reconnect with why our habits matter and um how to get back up.

Yeah, I mean, and this is very relatable, right? Like, this is something as a coach um and as a friend and as a human that uh I see happen a lot. So whether it’s myself, I mean, when I say it’s relatable, I don’t think there’s a single person I know that that hasn’t had a moment where they’ve fallen off track with something that they really want to do. And um, I love the quote by James Clear. If anybody knows me, if you don’t know me, this is something you’re gonna learn in our time together. I love the book Atomic Habits, and so does Kelcie. And James Clear has an incredible quote. He talks, he says, you don’t rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your system. So, what Kelcie and I want to do today for you guys is to take you through what it looks like to recognize when you’ve fallen off track and the questions to ask yourself to know if you need to make a course correction, and then some actionable steps that you can take to go and get back on track. So, we’re gonna dive in a little bit more. Kelcie is going to share from her personal experience of something relatable right now. So let’s go in, okay? I’m gonna ask her some questions. I want you, as the listener, to think of yourself in this scenario, right? So, Kelcie, what is the version of you that you feel most disconnected with right now?

The version of me that I feel most disconnected with is the one who was on her routine of. So my routine that I’m off of is I would time block my day, and I my day is like half projects and then half kind of task management reoccurring fire putting out, but and then okay, so maybe like yeah, half projects, 40%, you know, uh recurring half or routine, and then that 10% fire. I would set no more than a 90-minute timer, and I would have usually either using my email as like my list of things to do, um, or an actual written out list. Uh, and and I would just just go off of that, and that was my that was my zone, and something and I work from home, and so there’s distractions all around me, and something would pop up, and I’d say, Oh, I do my instinct is I’m gonna do it now. Um, but I’d look at my timer, I’m like, Oh, I can do that in 42 minutes, that can wait 42 minutes, and it was this instant relief um as somebody who’s this knee-jerk reaction person to solve it right away. Um, and I fell off of that. And so that’s that’s the person that I’ve disconnected with is when I was that person, when I was doing those things, I had no peace. I finished my work day feeling like I did a job well done for myself, for you and Merrill, um, and I took care of my house better.

So, okay. And so now that you’ve recognized this and you’re being so vulnerable with us, and I appreciate that. What happens if nothing changes? Like, what is 30 days from now, if you don’t get back to that 90-minute timer person, what does life look like? The first thing I thought of was um I forget something crucial in America. What’s the next year? I want the person that can help to you know be helped. Um if nothing changes, uh I I dig even deeper into the shame of every day. It’s not like it’s not like when you have an established routine and you don’t do it anymore, it’s not like you forget. Really, I unless unless something else is going on. It echoes in your yeah, yeah. Um, when you realize that you are on the umpteenth scroll, and you’re like, if you look at the time, you’re like, it’s been that long. I just, you know, sat down for a second. And um, and so nothing changes. It’s it’s deeper shame, it’s excess fear, and it’s it’s bad health habits too. Just I think that’s for me, that’s what spills into it is then I start to like comfort eat, I go to bed later, I wake up later, spend less time outside.

It’s like a domino effect. So isn’t this interesting? This single habit of setting a timer to time block yourself into like, and and remember, Kelcie’s using the timer as a mechanism to not need your react, right? And and that’s helping with her efficiency, it’s helping with your mental health as well, like you said. So if if if you don’t get back into that, then it sounds like this domino effect of just shame, you know, yeah, regret. It doesn’t sound like a place that you’re thriving. No, no, or waiting, it’s decay. So so what’s waiting for you? Like, if we were to wave a magic wand, right, and you were back to that person, how does it look 30 days from now? If we start right now, what does 30 days from now?

First one that came to my head was, and this might sound weird, but cleaner. Okay. Because I I’m sure I’m not the only one where my my outside or my you know, my environment reflects how ordered it is in here. Um, and so right now my house is a mess. Um, my sink is full, my table is full. Uh, I have undone laundry, half done, still in the still in the hamper kind of thing. Um, and so waving that magic wand, and tomorrow, if I were to go back on the routine, I know that I just know because it because it’s happened before. I have the evidence that that it works. I would have a cleaner outside, which helps me to have a more ordered, um, less gunky, really. It’s like I don’t know when I feel that shame, it feels gunky to me. Um, I’m slower and I’m less helpful to the people around me.

And I like the word clean because I picture like clean feelings, clean head space, uh, you know, clarity, clarity, breathing room, that structure, that organization. Okay, so let’s let’s dive into how do we get back on track, right? So, again, I want you as a listener to be thinking, okay, if I’ve fallen off track, you know, what costs that? And what does my life look like if nothing changes? Who am I disconnected with? And you know, getting back in routine, what does my life look like on the other side of that? And what are the results, right? So if you’re thinking about your business, you’re thinking about the results, um, right? So let’s get started. Kelcie, what’s one routine that you want to restart like right away?

Probably the timer that like I was thinking about as we prepared for this episode, I was reflecting on that question, and that was the first thing that came on my mind, like the obviously. And sure, that’s probably the biggest one, but I’ve got others that are, I guess we’ll get into it later, that are more of those triggers, but that’s the one routine. That’s the one that sets up all the others. It is, yeah, it is. I like that. So here’s what I like about the timer: she doesn’t need anything to do it, she doesn’t need new workout clothes, she doesn’t need a gym membership, she doesn’t need to go to the grocery store, she doesn’t need anything to get started. So depend now, she’s not that far off track. This has only been a couple weeks. Yeah, yeah. Okay, so if you’re really, really far off track, you may have to start really, really small. Um, and you need to think about who you you know. We’re gonna talk about one of Kelcie’s favorite quotes from Jake’s Claire, but I just want to point that out. Like the the step that she’s taking is within her control, it’s not complicated, it’s super simple. Don’t overcomplicate it, don’t overcommit, right? So she may have like 15 things she wants to restart. If you pick 15 things, you’re not even gonna restart one of them. So you need to keep it simple and it needs to be something that you cannot fail at, right? Like it’s find the catalyst. Yes, the catalyst, you know, the the the one that’s going to. So what would a simple, successful day look like to you putting into your one thing that she wants to restart, which is the timer?

So what would it what would my day look like if I a successful day? A successful day of that. Um the goal isn’t always in box zero because I can snooze things. Um, but it’s nice to know that nobody is waiting for me to respond about something. And as somebody who I I work out of four different buckets all day long enough, you know, coaching assistance, transaction management, uh, other just types of business management. I I have a virtual assistant, you know, there’s there’s so many things. Um and so to know that nobody’s waiting on me that is definitely a successful day. Um and that I’ve made progress on projects and that they’re not looming over here taunting me.

Um okay. This is an important step, it’s the visualization part. Not a lot of people talk about how important it is to visualize yourself succeeding. Now, you were an athlete in high school. What was that? It was track and field. Yeah, how important is it? Like, and she also coached track and field. Like, how important is it for an athlete to see themselves being successful? It’s so important. You’re right, it it really is um to visualize that. And we did that. We had I did that as a runner, and then I did that with like um my athletes as we and half of them fell asleep every time, but um but high school, yeah. Um but no, I you gotta, I mean, I the human brain is an amazing thing, um, but it it’s also kind of gullible.

Absolutely. I’m so glad you tell you so that visualization part, your brain doesn’t know the difference between what’s real, right, and and what’s imaginary. So by Kelcie taking a step back, or yourself, right? You see yourself waking up on time, you see yourself putting your workout clothes in on, you see yourself logging into your CRM and making your calls, right? You have to see what a successful day looks like, and and I want you to actually picture yourself doing it. So that way you know what it looks like. Can I explain? And maybe there’s no, I don’t think there’s a secret number, but what would you suggest to somebody who I don’t do that a whole lot. Um probably, how many times do I have to do that?

It’s a really good work. I’m sure, I’m sure that there are people way smarter than me that have an answer to that, but from everything that I studied and everything I read, you don’t stop visualizing. Oh, okay, you don’t stop. I mean your visualization changes, yeah, right. So, so for instance, um, I don’t know what’s on your schedule for tomorrow, but that visualization for tomorrow may not be exactly what your visualization for today was. Because today you came to my house, we had you know the podcast. Tomorrow you may not have an appointment outside. So you’re gonna run through the day, right? And I this is actually a really good example. So it’s not just like, oh, I wish I was skinny. You know, I wish I was a little bit taller. It just made me think of that song. But you know, if you are if you’re visualizing yourself being healthy, you see what you’re going to eat that day, you see the choices that you’re gonna make, right? I’m on a health journey, so that’s a big part of my visualization. If you see yourself, you know, um working on your social media habits, you see yourself reading a book, going for a walk, right? Whatever it is that you do, but it’s not it’s not imaginary. I want you to look at your schedule, right? I want you to be realistic. So imagine that you had an out-of-state client coming in and you have to go show a bunch of homes. The visualization of a successful day with an out-of-state client is very different than your visualization where you’re in your office in the morning and then a listing appointment in the afternoon, right? Like, so that’s why the visualization doesn’t stop. Right. It just changes based on, you know, in this in this scenario, you’re gonna visualize yourself stacking those habits, right? So part of your visualization is maybe you put a new automation in place. So you set your timer and you see the you see these it’s the the success of an automation, you feel that joy, right? So now she sees herself actually finishing tasks that were looming over you, right? Like and and you see the you know the the thank you text for Merrill or something like that. So visualization doesn’t really stop, and and also it doesn’t have to be five minutes, it can be one minute. Um, and and I like to actually visualize in the shower. That’s something that because it’s easy for me, I’m gonna get my hands. You have a stem feet of time. Yes, yeah. So that’s for me, visualization is easier. I used to try it in my bed and I would fall asleep. Yeah. So when when do you see yourself being able to visualize how like for you, what would make it easy to do?

Well, I know that already I look at in the evening, I look at the next day, I look at my calendar, I look to see what you’re doing. You know, I it it’s important for me to see what’s happening in my life. Um, and so I was thinking as you were sharing that, I was like, well, there you go. There’s that time. Um perfect because it it changes every day. And you know, using my successes or or or failures from today, and you know, applying that to tomorrow if it’s if it is applicable. Yeah, I like that. So I already know the answer to yours, and so will the audience, but let’s go ahead and ask this question just so that the audience can can stay with us. What support, tools, or accountability would help you most implement this, or you know, getting back on track in this habit? Yeah, setting the timer.

Um, I mean the timer and I had to use that on my phone. Yeah, my phone, you know. Um, and something that I just thought of too that if anybody if anybody has a better solution to this, help a girl out. But I have set like a a time limit on Instagram for myself, but they give you options to extend it. And it’s not that hard mid-scroll to go, yeah, five more minutes, you know, it’s not that hard. And then I notice just from personal experience, after a while, they stop asking you if if you want to, you know, stop extending your time. And so if anybody has a better solution for that, I don’t mind going hard on myself, like of setting a harder boundary. Um, but that that kind of accountability, I guess, accountability tool.

Um so that may be a piece of software, yeah. Right? That’s you know, that’s uh if you if you you know, this is why I don’t buy junk food for the house because I if it’s here, I’m gonna need it, right? You know what I mean? So it’s like just kind of having some of that in place. So it’s important for you to think about. Um, you know, for me, tracking my meals, I use my fitness pal, that’s one of the tools that I use. Um, you may have a tracker of some sort, and so I I want you to remember you don’t have to be extreme. I’m married to an extreme person who I love a lot. You don’t have to be extreme, you just have to be consistent.

But even that extreme guy, I’ve I’ve heard say it, and and I believe that he believes it, his weight loss and strength gaining journey has been through small consistencies. Yep. And because he did the extreme games, yeah. So true. But yeah, um this whole episode of just talking with Kristi, it’s really cemented in the idea that every action you take is a vote for the person that you want to become. I didn’t go up with that, James Clare did. Uh, but that’s that’s almost like the mantra for me that this in in in our in our take it and run framework that we’re gonna share what what you should what me, what I’m gonna do, and what you should do if you’re in a similar position, I think that’s gonna be the floating uh reminder of even just this small action, even just sitting down on the couch for a second. Is it do I really need to? You know, is this a vote for the person that I want to become?

Like those little things like that. Yeah, I like it. Well, so let’s jump into the take it and run framework. So the purpose of this podcast is to be able to give you something, a tool, a framework, um, advice at times, but it’s it’s to give you actual insight, something that you know we’ve shared with you. It’s now your turn to take it and run. So I’ll take the first one. Um, the first thing I would have you do is to choose what a win would look like and visualize it, right? So figure out what does success look like in this element, what’s that habit that looks like, and how do I feel, and you know, who am I, the person, and and and kind of really take it through that visualization so you can connect a why to the habit before you start to get the technical side. So really kind of think through what does a win look like?

Yeah, and I think what we’ll do is we’ll share questions that Kristi asked me um in the in the podcast notes. This is how good she on the same thread, make it visible. Uh, what I’ll probably do is I’ll write down when I did my clocks. Nothing, nothing crazier than that. I’m just gonna write down when I did it. And knowing knowing from when I did it, it’s about four different blocks, four different 90-minute blocks. Okay. So she’s gonna track it and she’s gonna make it visible. Visible can be whatever works for you, whether it’s paper, I know you like the paper part, and it can also be it can also be digital. So this is where once you start to track it, I want you to think about the trust that you put in yourself. So we’ve all heard diet starts Monday or I’ll stop scrolling tomorrow or one more one more episode. Netflix does that too, by the way. Like, do you want to continue? Yeah.

And they give you three and a half seconds to figure it out. So, what I want you to do is I want you to put a three-day streak in place for yourself. Okay, so I want the listeners to think, what does a three-day streak look like? And I think this would actually be fun if uh they tagged us on like social media or something. Yeah, but like the the streaks. Yeah, the streaks, the streaks work for a reason. Every time Kelcie sets this timer, like she said, she’s casting a vote on the person that she wants to be, but also she’s trusting herself. She did what she said she was gonna do, and that’s why it’s really important that the first one that you pick is something that you can’t fail at. Yeah, right. It’s it’s completely within her control. So if you’ve fallen off track, today is your reset, right? This isn’t the end, it’s the middle. Um, and hopefully you you don’t feel shame, right? Like that’s the thing, is is there’s there shouldn’t be shame in this. I we feel shame when we’re avoiding, yeah, right.

I definitely shame was released as soon as I talked about it. That awesome. Yeah. And this is not the last time it’s gonna happen for because it could be falling off track in in something else, right? In this case, we’re talking specifically about a habit, but I also like to do this every 90 days with just a 90-day recap, which we will do in a different episode. Um, so yeah, stack up those wins. Yeah. And all this whole streak made me realize I’m not I’m not uh a complete stranger to this. I’ve got a 45-day streak on my Duolinco. Ah see, I love streaks. I love streaks, I love it.

Anyway, yeah, so if you need a sign, this is it. Um, you’re not starting over, you are starting an experience. Just like I am. I like I said, I have evidence in my life that my habits worked. So I’m just picking it right back up, and my life alert over here. It stopped me, and we hope it helps you too. Okay, we’ve given you the information, so you guys can now take it and run. Bye.