4 Steps to Getting Back on Track

As you all know, last year, Jason and I won the Ultimate Body Challenge powered by FirstFitness Nutrition.  Training for that contest was awesome! I was in the gym 6 days a week, planning and preparing my meals a week ahead of time, packing my lunch and 2-3 snacks everyday... and it just goes on and on.  I can honestly say it was the most productive time of my life!

In December, FirstFitness sent us on an amazing vacation as our reward.  Not a day goes by that I don't think about it.  It was truly that amazing. 

We came back from that trip into the hustle and bustle of Christmas, followed by all three of our children's birthdays, Valentine's Day, my birthday, all 4 of our grandchildren's birthdays, festivals and fairs, income taxes and coaching our own Challenge group.  Wow, until I just put it on paper, I didn't realize what had been stealing my focus, but there it is, in black and white.  No wonder I haven't been consistent in anything lately.  As a result, the last few weeks I've felt like a fish flopping around out of the water.  

It's time to get back on track, make a plan and get focused again!  Today I've sat down and filled up 3 pages of my notebook and blocked off time in my calendar to get back at it! It's time to get back in the gym, time to get my menus planned and meals prepped for the week, get my shopping done 2 weeks out.  As much as the sapphire in me hates to admit it, life works better with a well executed plan! 

Here are some of my immediate action steps:

1. Update menu and grocery list - my grocery list stays the same for the most part and is consistent with my menu plan and nutrition program.
2. Get the groceries - When everything is going according to plan, my shopping day is the Saturday following payday.  I'm over a week late at the moment and my meals are suffering.  I will be getting groceries this afternoon.
3. Prep lunches for the week - If I don't get them prepped the at the beginning of the week, I end up scraping together lunch or going out, this results in high cost and higher carb lunches. I usually try to do this on Sunday evening, but as you can see, I'm behind.
4. Pack my gym bag - I like to go to the gym before work.  This means laying out my gym clothes and packing up my work clothes the night before.  If this doesn't get done, 90% of the time, I'll hit the snooze and skip my workout. 

There are other phases to my plan and I'll be sharing them in the next few days. Things like limiting Facebook time, scheduling blog posts, updating Twitter and Instagram profiles and holding weekly business meetings.

How do you stay focused?  What's your #1 time management tip?