When the schedule is crazy, one of the first things to fall off is self care. Instead of giving up, simplify it and find an anchor point to keep you grounded.

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Every year, I make the mistake of underestimating the amount of parental involvement required to start the school year.

Fall is just a maelstrom of holidays, events, in-person meet-ups, birthday parties. It’s dizzying. It’s exhausting.

• I’m trying to build out this personal brand business (while working on a big project to finally expand that business)
• Oh and I have to do the things to be healthy
• Then there’s all of the other stuff to handle that comes with not only being a parent of two young kids, but … just life in general.

And as a dad who prides himself in being heavily involved with his two kids and their school, I’m paying the price by barely staying afloat.

My brain feels like oatmeal and my consistency with my systems and habits feels like an exercise in futility.

As you can see, I’m not a perfect robot. I’m a real and imperfect human, too.

And this pace of nonstop involvement is unsustainable.

When I start to see that I’m slipping away from the momentum of my core habits and starting to slide into negative processes, it’s time to level-set and hit the reset button.

And I do that by returning to my anchor points.

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Beware the signs of burnout

Rather than powering through and sucking it up, I’m doing my best to acknowledge the situation and understand what my body is telling me.

Too often I’ve been the type of person that ignored the signs and that led to classic burnout.

Instead, I’m understanding that life can be a lot like the four burners of a stove.

Think about it like this …

When you’re cooking on all of the burners, you cannot possibly give all four burners your undivided attention. No.

One burner might be sautéing meat, another boiling water, a third is keeping a sauce warm, while the fourth might need a little more seasoning for the veggies.

Life is no different.

Right now, my family life needs a little more attention.

That doesn’t mean my career, my health, or my fulfillment get completely ignored.

Having anchor points allows you to keep the other dishes warm while you focus on the particular burner that needs your attention the most right now.

An anchor point is a lifeline when you’re drowning

Having anchor points helps me feel like I’m back in control again. Even when the world around me is an ocean of chaos.

Because with everything going on it can feel like I’m shifting right back into reactionary mode.

And that’s when I start slipping into habits and routines that do not serve me and will just lead to more burnout.

I’ll start making bargains with my ego to “just push through” and that I’ll be okay as long as I can “just get through the next few weeks.”

But the truth is that something else will be waiting there for me in a few weeks.

Return to the anchor point. Get grounded. Reset the game. Start fresh (as fresh as you can, given the situation).

How to develop your own anchor points

Find your minimum effective dose.

What are the smallest lever-moving behaviors that you can do right now?

Reject the cliched bullshit of “Go big or go home.” We know that other than hustle bros like David Goggins, you’ll end up just getting overwhelmed, anxious and eventually you’ll go home.

Instead of beating yourself up because you can’t get your four workouts in a week, maybe your anchor point is one full body workout that you perform with all out intensity and make it a non-negotiable.

No need for a 27-step morning routine; just commit to getting up 15 minutes earlier and doing one small thing (like five deep breaths).

Do one small thing to move your new business forward, rather than trying to knock out major project after project right now.

Simplify more than you’re comfortable with for a few weeks until you’ve weathered the storm and can do more.

Remember: This is a short term solution to build the momentum for the long term.

For me, I’ve been a bit behind in my health:

• Snacking a little too much
• Missing out on my total daily movement goals
• And creeping back into the habit of picking up my phone more than I’d like to admit.

So here are my anchor points that I’m really going to focus on for the next 4-6 weeks:

One full body workout per week.
This doesn’t mean I won’t get more done. But I’m making one my ultimate priority so I can hit that session with maximum intention and intensity

Balanced plate at every meal.
I was getting a little too cute with my eating lately and it threw off my plan, leading to more snacking than usual.

When I return to my anchor point of just simple, balanced-plated meals, I find myself properly satiated and the snacking becomes unnecessary.

Setting phone restrictions.
No phone within 90 minutes of waking up (I’m up at 5:15 a.m.); before bed for about 60 minutes; and put it on “do not disturb” during working hours.

Nothing fancy or sexy.

Just a simple anchor point that keeps the phone out of my hands and removes the temptation to grab it.

What are some ways you can develop anchor points for your own life?

Anchor points are like that warm blanket waiting for you when you return home from a long day away or a trip.

They provide a sense of comfort as you reset your foundation of lasting change.

The most successful people in any field, sport, art, whatever it is, have those anchor points that they can return to in order to feel back in control again.

It’s always the tiniest habits and behaviors that build the momentum towards greatness.

When life is kicking your ass, we don’t abandon our systems. We tweak, refine and sometimes we just go back to the ship, weigh anchor and level-set the scenario to find your footing again.

When the storm settles and you can build up your systems again, awesome.

But never let the setbacks totally unmoor you from your values, beliefs and how you show up for yourself.

Find a better way by returning to your anchor points and resetting the game.

I hope you found this useful. If so, I’d appreciate it if you sent this newsletter to one person you think would benefit from my writing today.

And if you’re new here and enjoyed this newsletter, I’d be honored if you subscribed for more at this link.

And as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

I answer all of my emails at pete [at] petecataldo [.] com … Hit me up with the subject line “anchor point” and I’ll answer any questions you have to make this work for you.

Until next time,
Pete