Feel Like You’re Falling Behind? Here’s the Truth You Need to Realign With Your Vision
Keep reading this post to learn:
Why “maintenance mode” is the kindest reset tool you can use
How to use HS5 to stay grounded when your routine feels off
One fun way to reset your habits when life’s been a little too chaotic
Let’s get one thing straight: feeling behind doesn’t actually mean you ~are~ behind. Life isn’t a linear race with trophies for staying on pace. It’s messy. It’s beautiful. And sometimes it’s so unpredictable that it feels like your schedule got tossed into a blender.
Whether you’ve been sick, traveling, riding the back-to-school chaos wave, or just generally feeling like your days aren’t flowing, this is your sign to take a deep breath. You’re okay. You don’t need to rush and catch up with your life, you just need some help peacefully realigning with your vision.
That said, here’s how to recalibrate when your life feels off-track:
01. Embrace Maintenance Mode
Hear me out. Maintenance mode is like your graceful reset button. It’s not forever-mode, it’s just for now. Think of it as your bare-minimum rhythm that keeps you afloat so you don’t burn out. When you’re coming out of a season that’s zapped your time or energy, this is the most supportive place to start (I promise!).
☁️ Pro tip: Define it before you do it. That way, when life gets chaotic, you can slide into your maintenance mode like it's your favorite pair of sweatpants, guilt-free.
For example, during two months of travel and toddler sick days, my maintenance mode looked like:
Work: Weekly podcast episodes, 2 Instagram posts a week, and BFF Membership check-ins. That’s it.
Home: 15-minute daily tidy with my HS5 system. Zero deep cleaning.
Health: Shorter strength workouts and a simplified morning routine (hello, Bible + journaling only).
Relationships: Biweekly date nights, short phone-free hangs with my daughter, and realistic social check-ins.
Letting that be enough was an act of kindness to myself, and it can be for you, too!
02. Use Hustle Sanely 5™️ to Stay Grounded
HS5™️ isn’t just a productivity tool, it’s an anchor! When everything else feels fuzzy, these 5 habits help you show up for your life with purpose and peace:
Complete your Focus 3
Move for 30 minutes
Tidy for 15 minutes
Do something kind for yourself
Do something kind for someone else
In a recalibration season, your Focus 3 might shift from goal-getting to life-resetting: unpacking, laundry, catching up on emails, and that’s perfectly okay. Life isn’t about your to-do list being full of tasks that ~only~ help you reach your goals, but a balanced list that supports seasons of life so you steadily and peacefully get back to chasing after them!
03. Game-ify Your Habits
Sometimes it’s not about restarting all the good habits, it’s about letting go of the not-so-great ones. But doing that can be hard... unless you make it fun!
Enter: the “Get Your Life” challenge. After a summer of travel (and more rosé and spending than usual), my husband and I decided to take 30 days off drinking and unnecessary spending. We literally put it on our shared Google calendar and made it a thing, because gamifying your goals makes them easier (and more fun!) to stick with.
What habits have crept in that aren’t supporting the vision you have for your life? Call them out, then create a challenge to shift them.
Here’s the Truth, Bestie:
I’ll say it again — you’re not behind. You’re not failing. You’re a human living a full life. And showing up with peaceful intention is always enough.
When things feel off, I urge you not to result to hustling harder to “catch back up” with your life, just realign smarter. Filter what matters for this season, care for yourself like someone you love, and keep showing up!
Ready to Feel Grounded Again?
→ Grab a 2025 Peacefully Productive® Planner (currently on sale for $29.99!)
→ Join the Hustle Sanely Lifestyle Course
→ Catch the full podcast episode on this blog post here!
You’ve got this, one peacefully productive step at a time 💛
📲 Did you find this helpful? Screenshot this post, share it to your IG stories, and tag @jessmmassey and @hustlesanely so we can cheer you on!
READY TO REACH YOUR GOALS WHILE PRIORITIZING YOUR WELL-BEING SO YOU DON’T HIT BURNOUT?
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Loved this blog post? Tune into the full podcast episode below!
