I’m definitely on board with the schedule flexibility. When I start to resent the routine, then it’s time to step back and take a breath. I try to allow myself breaks if I feel like they’re necessary, but I need to keep the discipline when it happens. My problem is that a few sessions missed in a row turn into a 3 month slide.

The error I’ve made in the past is sticking to my original plan too long and not allowing any flexibility. This is true mainly with the gym. I’ve gone through phases where I schedule three exhaustive workouts per week. My pattern is that I do this for a few months, with good results. Then I get sick of it, but I force myself to go. A month or two later I’ve had it with the stupid gym and I blow it off completely.

These days, I’m allowing myself to change the plan before I get burned out. It’s better to scale back to two shorter workouts per week and stick with that for a year than to force myself to go three times a week and end up quitting after a few months.

Creating accountability is really helpful too.