December has a way of turning tidy routines into a juggling act—concerts, travel, late nights, early mornings, and a calendar that keeps multiplying. When life ramps up, most “plans” get louder too: more rules, more steps, more pressure. That’s why they fall apart.
Here’s a quieter, steadier approach: anchors. Anchors are a few simple behaviors that stay put while the rest of your week moves around them. For this season, think of your playbook as three things you can actually keep: a little daily movement, protein at two meals, and a bedtime you protect most nights. Nothing fancy. Just solid ground.
Anchor 1: Daily movement (even 10 minutes)
Movement is your nervous system’s downshift. It doesn’t have to look like a PR or a sweat angel to count. Walk the block before dinner. Do a light mobility flow while the coffee brews. Run a smooth mini-circuit—squats, elevated push-ups, hip hinges—for ten unhurried minutes.
What matters isn’t the intensity; it’s the signal you send yourself: I’m a person who moves, even when it’s busy. That identity shift makes the next workout feel easier—and the rest of the day feel calmer.
Make it stick: put shoes by the door and name a time you’ll move (“after dishes,” “between meetings,” “before school pickup”). When the cue happens, you go.
Anchor 2: Protein at two meals
No food rules, no all-or-nothing. Just add protein to two meals and let it do its job. Protein steadies energy and appetite, which quietly reduces the “I’m starving—grab anything” spiral that December loves to trigger.
Breakfast can be Greek yogurt with berries and a handful of nuts, or eggs with toast and salsa. Lunch might be a rotisserie chicken wrap, tuna with crackers and veggies, or a simple bean-and-rice bowl. On the go? Cottage cheese cup, jerky + an apple, or a quick smoothie.
Make it stick: decide tonight which two meals tomorrow will be your protein anchors. Put it in your notes like an appointment.
Anchor 3: A bedtime you protect (4–5 nights a week)
Sleep gets stolen in December. You don’t need a perfect routine—just a protected bedtime most nights. Phone away, lights down, five to ten minutes of stretching or reading, then bed a little earlier than usual. That small shift upgrades mood, cravings, patience, and training recovery. Exactly what this season tests.
Make it stick: circle your protected nights (say, Sunday through Thursday) and set a tiny reminder: “Lights down” at your chosen time.
What an “anchored” week looks like
Picture this: you start Monday with a ten-minute walk after breakfast, you hit your two protein meals (yogurt in the morning, a chicken wrap at lunch), and you honor your earlier bedtime. Tuesday gets messy—errands, a late event—but you still sneak in five minutes of mobility and a protein snack, then protect sleep the next night instead. By Friday, you didn’t do everything. You did the important things. You feel steady, not starting over.
When a party, practice, or flight pops up, you bend without breaking: keep the movement minimum, keep two protein meals, slide your protected bedtime to the next night. That’s the playbook working.
Takeaway
Fewer, stronger anchors beat long to-do lists during December. Move a little every day, put protein on two plates, and protect your bedtime most nights. Simple on purpose—and powerful in practice.
Call To Action
Know someone who could use a calmer plan this month? Share this post with them and compare anchors—you might even keep each other accountable.