So, I've been lurking here on and off for a good few years and had a few periods where I've managed to make some progress, but never stuck with it for more than a few months. So now's the time to stop messing about and permanently change my ways and see if I can make my early 30s that period in my life I look back on as when things really changed for the better.

My desire to change isn't all about the physical. I'm your typical ectomorph so I can get away with looking ok with a fairly crap lifestyle, and if I knocked a few bad habits on the head (too many nights down the pub, etc) I'd probably be in better shape than most of this country's population. But I've always wanted to see if I could break away from being the skinny computer guy who avoided sports at school. And one thing I don't allow myself to do is settle for missing out on something because it's too hard. What kind if life is that without the satisfaction of working hard for something and achieving it?

Last time around I spent 3 months on SUP2 - the fat dropped off and the gains I made were steady and improved beyond anything else I'd managed before, but a full day's work + 3 hours commuting and trying to live up to my entrepreneurial dreams didn't leave much time for anything else and once the 3 months were up and a few other things started demanding my time I went off the rails.

Back to living a life of a lazy convenience food, tons of caffeine in the form of lactose crammed coffees, beers at home in the evening, sleepless nights, late wakings and so on.

But now there's really no excuses.

Going back to the whole business of it not all being physical, well, about 7 weeks ago I quit my job and am effectively my own boss, so now my requirement for self discipline's gone through the roof! While I've managed a fair amount since I started my adventure, I feel like I should be managing more and know that plenty of people starting their own businesses put in way more time than I have been. And now there's definitely no excuses for not having time to get down the gym and prepare my meals properly.

I've got other psychological issues I'm determined to beat as part of this too, issues that I'll have to beat if I'm going to be successful. Things like my 'all or nothing' attitude that makes me throw myself into a healthy lifestyle then lose all determination (or maybe interest?) as soon as I can't follow it 100%. Or my inability to sit down to work if I'm not going to be able to manage at least 5/6 hours in one sitting.

Anyway, it all changes now. It's crunch time and if I don't sort things out, well, I'll have to go back to TPS Reports and Hawaiian Shirt Fridays and I really don't want that. While that can be done with or without going down the gym I know it'll all come together to maximise my performance in all areas. Not to mention that if I can't stick to a gym routine when I dictate my own schedule then I have no idea when I will be able to!

I was up at 6AM this morning, the first time before 10AM in weeks. Diet is clean from now, with no drinking at home and minimised when socialising. On a caffeine detox to see if I can sort out my sleeping routine and the gym schedule starts again in the next few days.

Bring it on.

Jon

Good luck, Jon!

I work freelance and have also gotten into the late night-late wake cycle. Shaking out of it is one of my goals as I get back into lifting. Looks like we're both using it partly to foster discipline in other areas of life.

I'll be watching. KICK ASS! :claphigh:

Hey thanks!

Good to know of others doing something similar. I've always wanted to work for myself but also known discipline would be the big thing standing in my way, so have got to conquer it one way or another.

I'll have to make sure I check in on you every so often to see how you're doing too. ;)

OK, so the first fortnight hasn't gone great.

First few days I managed early starts, only to find myself dozing off mid morning. I think the walk to the train station when commuting obviously makes a big difference (or maybe the extra sleep when I'm on it!). I think caffeine is going to have to be permitted in moderation early in the day, at least for now. I also managed to stay off the drink all week, then allowed myself a cheat night on the Saturday and it all went down hill from there. Various other events of that evening meant that plans to stick to a moderate one or two beers went out of the window and I drank more, and also then the next evening too. That put me into a cycle of sleeping late, waking hungover, slightly depressed and completely devoid of motivation. I did at least manage another few constructive days early this week but I also had a good few wasted days of sitting around doing nothing but watching endless TV.

Still, I think there has been some benefit to it. I think I'm starting to get my head around how I need to play things.

I've been a working stiff for nearly 10 years now and if I want to make a go of this working from home I've got to completely change my view of everyday life. My week doesn't necessarily start on a Monday or end on a Friday, nor does it start at 9AM and last until 5:30PM. Why then do I tell myself "ooh great, it's Friday", or start mentally thinking about relaxing on the sofa when it starts to get dark. None of that applies to me any more!

I've realised what it was that got me through my day in the office. Working for myself for the foreseeable future is not going to be much more interesting than the job was - I'm still tied to my computer tapping away at the keyboard endlessly all day. However, whereas in the office I could break up my day looking forward to lunch, a coffee break and chat with a friend or going home, when working at home these small but important things are what keeps you going when you're stuck in tedium aren't there.

On the other hand is the opposite side of things - small things that make you feel like you've achieved something are also missing. I've realised that the simple act of getting to work nice and early used to make me feel good - it was, however insignificant, an acheivement. Something to feel good about, a good start to my day. All those mundane tasks you hate are at least things you can tick off your list, and make you feel good as your list gets shorter. I've read quite a few articles about motivation, getting stuck in ruts, etc, and that's one of the things they suggest - make lists so you get the satisfaction of really seeing how you're getting through things, and in the same way making lists of what you have done to look back on. I think they're onto something....

For ages I've been going back and forth - do I try and change the things about the way I am to the way I want to be, or do I accept them and just try and make the best of it? I think change is out. I'm a man of routine, so best try and make a reasonable one and stick to it.

Anyway, here's hoping for a more constructive week this week.......