A Sloppy Recovery


When I first began the Addiction Recovery Program my life was totally disorganized -- not unlike the schedule below:

Monday:  Wake up at 7:30 read from BofM, pray, eat, get dressed, go to school and work. Come home, do homework, pray, go to bed at 11:30.

Tuesday: Wake up at 8:30 eat, get dressed, pray, go to school and work. Come home, go to part of ARP meeting, come home, do homework, pray, watch TV, go to bed at 12:30.

Wednesday: Wake up at 7:00, get dressed, do some step work, eat, go to school and work. Come home, do homework, read from BofM go to bed at 12:00.

Thursday: Wake up at 9:30, eat, get dressed, go to school and work. Come home, do homework, read from BofM, write in journal, pray, go to bed at 12:30.

Friday: Wake up at 8:00, read from BofM, pray, do some step work, eat, go to school and work. Come home, hang out with friends, go to bed at 1:00 AM.

Saturday: Wake up at 10:30, eat, get dressed, go for a hike, hang out with friends, go to a movie. Go to bed at 1:30 AM.

Sunday: Wake up at 8:30, eat, get dressed, pray, go to church, hang out with friends, write in journal, pray, go to bed at 10:30.

Might this schedule belong to anyone you know???

What this person has is a sloppy schedule -- and possibly a sloppy recovery. 

Sure he is trying to squeeze in everything he knows he should be doing but it's not working well.

Each day is totally different. He has no real plan, except to try to do a little of everything when he can squeeze it in.
What he's missing is Consistency!

He may wonder, "Hey, I'm trying to pray, read my scriptures, attend an ARP meeting plus work on the 12 steps -- so why do I feel like I'm not recovering?"

The truth is, he's really not in control.  He doesn't have a plan.  He is "tossed to and fro."

His recovery could be so much simpler and effective if he took charge, and had a plan for each day by:
  • Trying to go to bed at the same time each night
  • Making sure to get adequate sleep
  • Getting up at the same time each morning
  • Setting up a consistent routine for dailies each day -- including weekends
  • And determining which things in life are important and which are optional.
For many of us the best time to do dailies is early in the morning, before others get up*.  That way we have a quiet time to read, ponder, and pray -- just like the personal study done by missionaries. If it was good for us as missionaries, it should be good for us now.

Suggestion: 
  • Write down your schedule each day for a week and see what you are really doing and when.
  • Determine what you can you do to be more consistent? 
  • Then put together a plan for the following week and try to live it.
  • If it doesn't work, make adjustments until you have a plan that works and is consistent.
Then you should begin seeing success, not just in recovery, but in all aspects of your life!

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*If you would like to know the benefits of getting up early, check out this article from the Ensign entitled: Filled With Life and Energy.    

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