August is hot and thick with summer and if you’re like me, you’re getting to that point of yearning for the rhythm of a more  regular schedule and more increased productivity that normally occurs with the fall seasonal shift. When it comes to self-care, are you in a pattern of feeling like you are taking steps, but not having the focus for true lasting results? Sometimes when we feel like we’re spinning our wheels and doing all the stuff without seeing tangible results, it’s because we are fooling ourselves with shallow, inconsistent work.

Nothing beats the satisfaction of truly reaching goal in our well-being whether it be a fitness goal, a desired weight shift, or work life balance. In our relentlessly connected world, it’s easy to be constantly interrupted and lacking clarity leading to a feeling of being misaligned with ourselves and our well-being.

Often, it’s the self-care that falls to the bottom of the priority list while that is the very thing that can help us regain control.

Here are 5 simple steps to take to get your actions aligned with your desired wellness vision.

1. What is your wellness vision? To help you gain clarity here are a few questions to ask yourself so that you can take steps in the direction that you want to go…What is going well with your wellness right now? Where would you like to be 6 months from now? What will you be able to do once you reach that goal that is not possible now? What is standing in the way of you starting?

2. Block out distractions by using the focus feature or airplane mode of your smart phone. This allows your brain to really settle into concentrating on the task at hand…the exercising, journaling, taking a power nap, or focusing on a new recipe undistracted, it’s amazing how much more powerful your efforts will be. This is called flow state and greatly increased happiness!

3. Schedule the first step. The journey of 1000 miles begins with one, so what is it for you? Is it taking a water bottle with you to work and making sure you fill it up one more time during the day? How about allowing enough time for the rest you need, or getting into your home gym for 10 minutes a couple of times a week? Whatever it is for you just start where you are.

4. What can you subtract? It’s our natural tendency to add to our workload when a new idea comes up or we want to make a shift. Experiment with the idea of subtraction and see if there’s an area, a task, a past time that’s not serving you that could be replaced with some much-needed downtime. This might just free up the space for you to get started on that self-care plan that you’re thinking about.

4. Put an accountability system in place to help you remain true to your vision. Some tools that I personally like are MyFitnessPal, journals,  or simply blocking time with appointments for your self-care  on your calendar, and, of course, my favorite, is having a personal coach to help keep you accountable.

Whether or not the school rhythm is part of your life, the end of summer and change of seasons is a natural way to switch up our habits. This makes for a perfect time to set new intentions and move forward in an area that is serving you. No matter what your goals are, I hope that you have found this article helpful in moving you closer to becoming the strong individual that you were meant to be!