The Best Laid Plans
I’m writing this from the tail end of my Costa Rica vacation, which was meant to be another “epic summer trip” shared with my daughter and girlfriend; building core memories type vibes. I went into the trip feeling good and organized about my daily work planning. A full week of blog posts pre-scheduled, all set to run while I was away. I figured I’d be able to add a few more while I was here, but I didn’t actually schedule them, nor block time on my calendar to write once I landed. I even had a couple of drafts that I’d worked on but didn’t get to finalize/schedule in the franticness of pre-trip errands on top of a time-sensitive leak repair that came up at my condo a few days before leaving.
Between trying to be fully present with my daughter, and enjoying the moments of our trip, the blogs slipped off my radar. I only realized this morning while finally catching up on some work while she slept in, that I had fallen short of scheduling enough posts for the entire duration of the trip.
Part of me panicked, even if only for a split second. Daily blogging is a commitment I made with myself. But the other part of me quickly recognized this was the point: intentionally choosing time away, even if it meant falling behind.
Here’s what I’m learning:
- Don’t leave gaps in scheduled posts when I plan to be away. Make sure I get everything finalized and in the queue before I leave.
- Block off time to write during travel, even just 30 minutes, to at least maintain some momentum in the practice, even if not to actually post in real-time.
- Accept the possibility for falling short. Missing a day with intention is better than pushing halfhearted work.
So yes, I’ve missed a couple days. And that’s okay. This is real life. As important as it is to get into a routine and maintain healthy habits, it’s also ok to fall off the path occasionally. Sometimes that’s where the inspirational bits find us.