What SIMPLE Actually Looks Like in Real Life

I wish I could say I follow SIMPLE perfectly every day.

I don’t.

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In my first post, I mentioned how I convinced myself I was going to start waking up at 5am and go to hot fitness classes.

And in my head, it made perfect sense.

I’m not a morning person… but somehow I was going to wake up early, get my ass kicked for 45 minutes in a 110 degree room, and come back a completely different person.

The idea sounded great.

The reality?

I was jumping into something way too extreme, way too fast.

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And that’s been the pattern for me.

It’s always been all or nothing.

Either I’m fully committed… or I’m not doing it at all.

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So I had to take a step back and ask myself:

What does this actually look like in my real life?

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Because my real life isn’t built for perfect routines.

Monday through Friday, I’m heads down working from about 8:30 to 6 on a good day.

Sometimes I can start earlier if my husband is doing daycare drop off.

But when I’m doing it, my morning is already spoken for.

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And then there’s the mornings.

Which honestly… are their own routine.

Breakfast. Getting dressed. Getting out the door on time.

And my daughter’s hair.

Which, depending on the day, is either a smooth process…
or a full situation.

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She has really curly hair and hates having it brushed.

So sometimes I can convince her we’re “playing salon” and she’s into it.

Other days?

It’s a negotiation.
A distraction.
A minor meltdown.
All before 8am.

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And the thing is… none of that is optional.

It’s not something I can just skip so I can go be productive or stick to some perfect routine.

It’s part of my life right now.

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And that’s the part I used to fight.

I’d try to build routines that didn’t account for any of it.

As if I could just carve out this perfect, uninterrupted version of my day.

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But this is my routine.

The chaos is part of it.

And honestly… that’s okay.

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So trying to force in some perfect morning routine before all of that?

It just wasn’t realistic.

And honestly, it was taking away from the exact thing I was trying to protect.

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So I tried something else.

I told myself I’d go for a walk every day at lunch.

Simple, right?

I work from home. I have flexibility.

But then the day starts moving.

There’s always more to do.

And instead of taking the time, I’d start to feel guilty for stepping away.

So that didn’t stick either.

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And that’s when it finally hit me.

I wasn’t failing.

I was just trying to force my life into something it wasn’t built for.

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And another thing I had to be honest with myself about…

Those fitness classes?

They run all day.

In theory, I could go in the middle of the day.

Step away. Take a break. Make it work.

And maybe that works for some people.

But for me… it doesn’t.

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I take my job seriously.

I want to be good at it. Not just get by… actually be good at it.

And that requires a level of focus and commitment that I’m not always willing to break in the middle of the day.

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And that was another shift for me.

I had to be honest about what actually matters to me right now… and build around that.

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Because balance doesn’t mean everything gets equal time.

It means you’re making intentional decisions about what matters in this season of your life.

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Right now, that looks like:

showing up fully for my job
being present for my family
and finding realistic ways to show up for myself in between

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So I compromised.

I bought a $40 standing desk and a walking pad and put it in the corner of my office.

Nothing fancy. Just enough to prove to myself I could actually stick with it.

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Now my mornings look like this.

I wake up. I get ready.

My husband is making breakfast for us and our daughter.

We eat. The chaos happens. We get out the door.

I come back home, make a cup of coffee, and start my day.

Emails. Follow ups. Getting organized.

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And while I’m doing all of that?

I’m walking.

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No, it’s not a 45 minute hot fitness class.

No, I’m not drenched in sweat feeling like I just had some life changing workout.

But I still did something for myself.

And more importantly… I can actually keep doing it.

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That’s what SIMPLE looks like for me right now.

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It’s not about doing everything perfectly.

It’s about finding a way to show up consistently… even if it looks different than what you originally planned.

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Some days it’s more.

Some days it’s less.

But it’s something.

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And that’s enough.