Those old enough to remember the “Golden Age of Infomercials” will surely recognize the phrase “Set it and forget it.” This phrase was popularized by Ron Popeil, who used the phrase to describe his Showtime Rotisserie. Ron was a master salesman, and he made it look so easy. Just pop a whole chicken in the rotisserie, set it, and forget it. In a few hours, you will magically have delicious, moist chicken. The allure of this approach extends well beyond food preparation.

It would be great to lock in certain aspects of our lives with the “set it and forget it approach.” I’d love it if this worked with the big pillars of life such as diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management. Unfortunately, this approach does not work, at least for me. 

Diet - Diet requires constant monitoring and attention as part of Project Food as Fuel. 

Exercise - I can’t just do the same exercise every day. Well, I could and the same exercise is better than no exercise, but eventually the body gets used to it and you have to mix it up.

Sleep - I thought I had sleep under control, but then I get bouts of insomnia or disrupted sleep.

Stress -   Stress pops up everywhere and there is no one approach that will work in every situation. 

So, the approach that works is the one that requires constant attention, assessing, and changing habits and behaviors. I believe @Mikebyrnes has referred to this as “conscious living” or living aware.

It would be nice to go back to “set it and forget it,” but that strategy does not lead to a healthier me so it’s off the table.