# 5: The Right Foot

I officially find myself tucked back, safe and snug in Toronto. Which I was really looking forward to, until I realized how utterly unprepared I was, mind and body, to return to the immense workload and intense pressure of law school. I'm jetlagged - a mere two hours behind, but what a difference that makes when you aspire to wake up at 6:30 - and both my mind and body are still staunchly in hibernation mode. I came home after class yesterday, utterly at a loss as to what I should do: I had been away long enough to forget the absolute necessity of getting myself to the library, lest I migrate my studying from my desk to my bed, and from there from consciousness to subunconsciousness.

So my plan of attack is as follows:

Take it one step at a time, and start your day on the right foot

"Thanks for that illuminating platitude," I'm sure you're thinking. It's really just a two-fold mindset. I think that, first, it's important to set fair expectations for yourself. For me, this means not beating myself about the fact that I haven't made it to my morning gym dates. My first step is to get my sleeping schedule adjusted, and forcing myself to run a day on 5 hours of sleep just does not strike me as the most effective or pleasant way to accomplish that. I could set myself an ambitious and unrealistic To Do list, and then just feel ashamed when it doesn't get completed, or I can put down some priorities, and do them well.

The second part of this mantra, is simply to make sure that I start my day with choices that give me positive energy throughout the day. Just because I'm stressed about being back at school does not mean that I should roll out of bed, throw on whatever, and drag myself to the library. I think a key to my personal sanity is my morning routine. When I start my day by either going to the gym or having a healthy breakfast, I just feel better prepared for the rest of my day. Making those first few choices to take care of yourself just makes you feel empowered to take on the day. Today, for me that means...

More on that monstrosity in future.

So start your day right, and realize your own initial limitations.