profile

Positively_Lisa

Why you need a *system* for self-care...

Published 11 days ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader

If you're like me, you have the best of intentions when it comes to planning out self-care. You promise yourself you'll do things like journal, walk, or hydrate and you are so excited to start! But let me ask you this...have you made that self-care plan only to watch it fall apart as soon as life got busy? One urgent deadline, one bad night of sleep, and suddenly all those good intentions disappear along with any benefits the self-care had to offer. Ugh.

The reason this happens is because a plan is fragile. It assumes life will go smoothly, and we both know it absolutely doesn't. The answer? Skip the plan and design a system.

What helps instead is thinking in terms of systems. Systems remove the friction, reduce the number of decisions you have to make, and make the healthy choice the easy choice.

If you want to create a self-care system, consider these four elements:

  1. Environment: Put your tools where you’ll use them. Keep a book by your bed, water on your desk, sneakers by the door.
  2. Triggers: Use reminders and habit stacking. Pair your self-care with something you already do.
  3. Support: Add accountability. A friend, a coach, or even a reminder app can help.
  4. Flexibility: Have a baseline and a bonus. Five minutes counts as much as 45, because both keep the habit alive.

Self-care isn’t about perfection, it’s about creating a system that adapts with you.

If you’d like to go deeper into why plans fail and how systems succeed, and how to develop a system to support you best, be sure to check out this week’s episode of the Positively Living® Podcast.

>> Listen to the podcast here​
>> Read the blog post here​

Here's to a system of self-care that elevates your life.
​
♥
Lisa

Clarity Call

Sometimes you just need clarity to cut through the noise. In just 30 minutes, we’ll pinpoint what’s blocking your productivity and give you a clear step forward. This is a low-risk test drive to reset and refocus. It provides a small win and shows you the power of personalized support.

County Route 10, Bath, NY 14810
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

​

Positively_Lisa

Compassionate Productivity Strategist for Creatives + Caregivers

Check out the resources I offer below and request my Toolkit to reduce overwhelm, boost energy, and align your actions with your values!

Read more from Positively_Lisa

Hi Reader We usually think of productivity as a good thing, something to strive for and something to be proud of, and as a coach specializing in that, I agree! It often is just that. As with most things in life, however, there is a duality. Productivity can be supportive and freeing, but it can also turn into something that harms us. If you’ve ever felt like productivity was not working for you, or even made life harder, you are not imagining it. The truth is that productivity becomes...

4 days ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader Ever had one of those days where the checklist is complete (we’ve read the emails, done the laundry, completed the errands, finished the projects) and yet, somehow, you still feel unsatisfied? Conversely, you may have had a day where not much gets done on paper (that poor checklist goes largely unchecked) yet you end it feeling fulfilled? (You don’t think you should but you can’t help it because what you did was meaningful to you.) What’s the difference? It comes down to two sides...

18 days ago • 1 min read

Hi Reader When you think of burnout, do you picture exhaustion and overwhelm? Being "tired" (weary and worn out to be sure) is often part of it, but there is much more to it and the root cause is much deeper. To understand better, we need to look to your nervous system. Your nervous system is your body’s command center. It’s meant to rev you up when there’s danger, and then settle you back down once you’re safe. But here’s the challenge: your brain doesn’t distinguish between a wild animal...

25 days ago • 1 min read