Sometimes we just need a minute. We have our routines, we’re productive, and everything is going well. We’re on our way to success and reaching our goals. Then life happens. We fall off, need to take a break or change course, or even retrace our steps. Apologies for sounding similar to Dr. Suess’s “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” perhaps because I just read it to my toddler and it prompted this article.

There was a pause in my career while I gave birth and took the subsequent six weeks maternity leave. I’m a freelance writer so working from home with an ambitious mindset, six weeks off was plenty for me, but even with a hunger to get “back into things” there were hurdles, particularly one adorable little hurdle.

Hours in the day slipped by without me making a dent in my work to-dos. I’d skip work-outs to meet deadlines, ate far too much take-out, and found myself sleeping on the couch with my son in my arms after we’d been up the night before. Frustrated, exhausted, and still ambitious I had to figure out how to get back on track. It was a matter of re-calibrating my life.

Define the Goals

Everyone has different courses they’re following and various reasons for getting off track. For some it can be a complete career change, for others it’s been too much (fill in the blank) in too short of a time and you’re feeling off keel. Whatever it is, step back for a moment and figure out your goals. Depending on the situation, your goals may need to be adjusted. If you were training for a marathon but had to take too many weeks off due to an injury, you won’t be able to just right back in where you left off, or even at the level you anticipated being when you first started. Your goal might be to simply finish the marathon, even if there’s some walking involved.

I made the naive mistake for thinking I could work the same amount of hours while squeezing in the same work-outs and general house chores I did pre-baby, maybe just cut back an hour or two here and there. Clearly I was a first-time mother. When I realized it wasn’t working I stepped back and defined what I wanted to get accomplished: work at least four hours Monday through Friday, do something active daily, and keep the house somewhat in order with healthy food on hand being a priority.

Cut The Slack, Keep The Good

There might be processes in place that work, or maybe they all are ineffective. Identify, without bias, what’s working and what’s not. If you’re on a mission to lose weight, but suddenly the scale’s numbers are stuck (or even increasing!) it might be time for a detailed food and activity log.

Pre-baby I would take ten to twenty minute breaks during the work-day. Sometimes I’d tackle quick chores around the house. Guess who didn’t let me do that easily? In fact I’ve found that the more active my son has become the less “breaks” I get. However I’ve pinpointed the activities he’s content to “help” and the times of day when he’s least fussy and I can get the most work done with him present.

Don’t beat yourself up when things aren’t lining up as planned, it’s more productive to understand why you’re slipping up versus quitting altogether. Perhaps you’ll find your original goal wasn’t as realistic as you thought, that’s fine. If it’s still something you want to pursue, make it realistic.

Keep The Focus On a Distraction

Just because a goal and plan of action needs to be readdressed doesn’t make you a failure or the goal not worth pursuing. Maybe the goal is still realistic, but your milestones need to be broken down further. If the big picture make you anxious or feel overwhelmed focus on building smaller habits. For example if you made a goal to save up enough money for a bigger apartment, but are far past on your set milestones, think about ways to drastically cut your daily spending. Think outside the box too, are you deserving of a promotion at work or could you take on some side jobs? Shifting your focus to cutting out your daily $4 latte or landing that freelancer job is more positive than wallowing in being thousands of dollars away from your goal.

Another Way

Sometimes we knock our goals out of the park, other times they are daily reminders of where we desperately need improvement. Those are the worthwhile goals. They are the ones that will teach us the deepest lessons and build our strength. You may have fallen off track, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get up the mountain another way.