Routines Part One: The Year of the Dog... Sick as a dog...


Battling Illness, keeping up with Family, and sticking with routine:

For those who do not know, I work a full time job aside from LP. I also have a wife and an almost two year old. Why do these thing matter? Time management! 

2017 was a year of much trial and error figuring out a good routine that leaves everyone happy and work completed. We kicked off 2018 guns-a-blazing! Well, that is until the sickness arrived in our home. As they often say, when it rains, it pours. 

For the last 3-4 weeks, I have been fighting head colds and sinus infections rendering me miserable and very grumpy, resulting in little quality shop time. 

This blog entry is more of an introduction to the importance of routine, as well as my own routines and how I am able to utilize my time and efficiently (as I can) get work done. I will follow up on the next entry on how I balance a 40hr day job, wife, 2yo, and Lost Penguin. 

Anyone who works out, has children, or a side hustle for that matter knows that routine is key. Once a routine is developed, its easy to stick to, that is until it get interrupted. Interruptions happen from a variety of causes; illness, exhaustion, "cheat days", day job overloads, and many more. It is easy to lose sight of your efficiency.

In my case, a grand culmination of unfortunate (and fortunate) events threw my routine so out of whack, that I am still stumbling to get back on track. As mentioned before, illness has been one of the biggest contributors to my errant changes. However, I can not blame it all on that. 

Early 2017 I began to go to the gym everyday on my lunch break, a wonderful routine that has really paid off. Well, In an effort to build on my mission to a healthier me, I have given up the use of smokeless tobacco....insert irritable and  grumpy face... in doing so, I seem to have replaced it with delicious cheeseburgers and the like during lunch rather than going to the gym. I have gotten a grip on this delectable problem, and have reasserted my lunch routine at the Y. However, the damage has been done to my routine, and waist line, and getting both back is an uphill battle. 

My next challenge has been getting back into the shop at home. I am finally feeling better and have been able to reestablish my evening routine in the shop. 

My biggest hurdle in 2017 was establishing these routines, especially when it came to getting sufficient time in my shop after an 8-10hr. work day, and still be able to spend quality time with my wife and son. Once I figured this all out, things fell into place. 

I suppose this long drawn out book (entry)  is really just to say, routines are important! Spontaneity is great and still doable, but  when efficiency is the desired result, a clear cut routine will usher you on your way to success. We often look at a series of routines throughout the day or week as all standalone. But the reality is, one hitch in what is considered a small routine can quickly become a snowball that throws an entire day off, or even a week, in my case an entire month!

So, how do you establish a routine? How did I figure out an efficient way to "do-it-all" and not have an angry wife, or a neglected child? Tune in to the next entry where I will explain how I keep (for the most part) everyone happy, stay on top of my day job and get work done at home, as well as how I am battling to get all my previously established routines back in place. 

Until next time, Thanks for reading, if you made it this far... and if you did make it this far, you're a trooper.... and deserve a prize... not like a real prize... more like a " give yourself a pat on the back, because you're awesome for being interested in Lost Penguin and this strange fellow with work vomit! "

Jesse Wayne Beckham 

Check out Part two to this article below:

 Routines Part 2: Weekends Off and Podcasts for the Win!!

 

 


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