I remember reading an article on MedicineNet that cited some benefits of exercising in the morning, and other benefits of exercising in the afternoon/evening. In the conclusion, however, the author said, "What’s the best time to exercise? The best time is whenever is best for you. If you’re not a morning person, exercising in the morning may be something you dread. You may find it easier to hit the gym after work. It’s more important to pick a time that suits your schedule and your lifestyle."

Two Shitty Pages

I think it's the same thing with questions like, "What's the best diet plan?" Well, it's the one that you're actually going to stick to, the one that you'll follow through with. What might be the healthiest, might be unrealistic. Author Tim Ferriss believes in lowering quotas, to help fight the inertia of starting tasks, and therefore help you achieve higher productivity. Ferriss talks about an author friend of his, whose goal is to write "two shitty pages" per day. Perfection is not the goal. He just gets the words down on paper, which gets the ball rolling and gives him a place to start.

Make It Attainable

Sometimes it can be easy to get swept away with really lofty goals; but then the goals are so high that I give up because they feel unattainable. But if I make the goal attainable, at least I've got something to start with. Once I get that rolling, I can make tweaks to it as I go.

4 Servings? Really?

This is one of the main problems I've had with the makeup of my diet. I have these grandiose visions of what I should be eating, namely trying to follow the Mayo Clinic Diet. Instead of a get-skinny-quick gimmick, this is a research-based plan that's best for my overall health. The part that's killing me right now is the goal of eating 4 servings of vegetables each day. I also make and pack lunch for my kids every day, and leave dinners that my kids can heat up for themselves. I want to make healthy meals for them, but also ones that will be appetizing and varied.

The Grandiosity Dilemma

I once looked up the most popular foods in the US, to try to make foods that the girls would like. They did like a lot of the things on the list, but most of them were not very healthy. So instead I tried to look up healthy things to eat. Then I would just fall down the Pinterest rabbit hole, finding things that they won't find appetizing (truth be told, I don't either). That's an example of falling into The Grandiosity Dilemma. I would always say I've gotta make a list! But then everything I found was either not healthy enough or not appetizing enough, and the list never got made. I think I need to find some things that we all really do like to eat, and get them on the list. Once I have a physical list to start with, I can tweak it as I go. I can get rid of the least healthy items, and then slightly alter the recipes that remain. I can use whole grains instead of refined; sneak in extra vegetables; or air fry foods instead of pan-frying them.

First Draft

The adage that always comes back to me is, "If you fail to plan, then plan to fail." So I just need to get my shitty first draft plan down on paper, and start following it. I'm going to stop waiting for the perfect plan and just put my first draft into action. As Amelia Earhart said, "Always think with your stick forward!"