11 Mar 21 Day Workaholic Recovery Plan – Week One (Are You In?)

Ok.  I admit it.  Lately I have been something of a fraud.  A fake. Someone who runs a company dedicated to wellness, blogs about all these great ways to take care of yourself and yet, I myself have not been practicing what I preach!  I have been allowing work to dominate and letting some very basic self care needs go by the waste side and finally this weekend hit the wall.

As a five year breast cancer survivor, I know only too well, how important self care is!  After my diagnosis, I made some MAJOR life changes. Overnight, I embraced a plant-based diet (yes, I’m a hard core green-juicing-semi-raw-vegan), guarded my sleep with my life, broke away from energy-draining people and situations and took to new activities like journaling, practicing yoga, meditating (sometimes), prioritizing family and friends and getting a handle on my workaholic lifestyle.  And over time, I found that I had crazy amounts of energy.  Sustained energy.  I became more productive at work, was a nicer person to be around (or so I’m told), and found myself to be, well, happy!  (Funny what balance and a little self love will do!)

And the truth is, I really DO practice all that I preach, but just not lately.  Sooooo…..it’s time to get back on track.  For the next 21 days, I invite you to join me in the 21 Day Workaholic Recovery Plan.   This is for all of us out there who are working too hard, playing too little and skipping over such important things like exercise, downtime and feeding yourself the good stuff!

So, here’s the 21 DAy Workaholic Recovery Plan!

Week 1: Detox-Plan

• Get More Sleep!  This is a top priority.  5 – 6 hours a night simply doesn’t cut it.  I’m going back to 7 – 8 hours.
• Take a Much Needed Break!  I haven’t taken a full day off since the New Year started.  Due to huge workloads and excitement to get some major work projects off the ground (like upcoming video blogs, our long awaited book, making improvements to our online training tools and a few other goodies), I found myself back to 12+ hours of work and using the weekends to “catch up” on all of the work I didn’t finish during the week.  A few days in Florida for some rest, relaxation and a visit to my mom is on the horizon later this week!  And no, I won’t be checking e-mail!
• Daily Juicing.  I can’t stress enough what a life changer juicing is.  Whether you juice or do the smoothie thing, drinking your fruits and veggies is an amazing way to pack the nutrients in, alkalize your system and up your energy levels.  I can’t keep using the excuse that my juicer broke and I commit to getting a new one!

Week 2:  Setting-Work-Boundaries-Plan

• Delegating.  I don’t know about you, but my work load drastically increased because I kept saying yes to things!  And being a self professed time optimist, that is a dangerous thing to do. So, I will re-organize, re-prioritize and delegate what I can and make more realistic time lines for what I can’t.
• Adhering to Cut Off Times! I will set clear start and end times.  This includes scheduling in breaks and sticking to it.   Simple?  Not always, but this is where time management comes in.
• Setting Realistic Goals and Time Lines.  This is where I fall down.  My work eyes are way bigger than my work stomach and that gives me a work-tummy ache.  I will re-set more realistically.

Week 3: Get-Back-In-Shape-Plan

• Get Back to Yoga.  Yoga has been transformative.  After my BC diagnosis, yoga changed my life.  It gives me strength, flexibility and peace.  I have to stop watching my husband go off to yoga while I rattle off yet another “I’m-too-busy” excuse, and literally schedule class or personal practice into my calendar.
• Walk More. Drive Less.  This one speaks for itself.
• Drink More Water.  As simple as this sounds, when I drink a lot of water regularly, it does wonders for my energy, digestion, skin and appetite control.  Try it!