At any given time, I usually have a structured minimalist program (1-3 drills that I really enjoy, which for me means no swings or get ups) that I follow no matter what, and then a bunch of variety "modules" that I can plug in around it, as my non-training schedule and stressors allow.
For most of the past year, I'm finding that a 3x/week program works well for the structured program. I can nearly always get my 3 sessions in, no matter what else I have going on, and if that's all I do in a week, I still call it good. 3x/week is enough to give me a degree of consistency and continuity even when I'm really busy and stressed. But most weeks, I do have time to accumulate a substantial volume of variety stuff. Maybe not as much as if I was focusing on it, but usually enough to maintain or even progress it.
If it was more than 3x/week, then I'd probably end up missing some sessions and have to work around that, plus I'd have the added stress of feeling like I wasn't keeping up with the program. More than 3x/week also means that I have less time for all the other stuff that I enjoy doing, so the main program starts to feel like a burden.
This structure helps me stick to the main program without feeling like I'm missing out on other stuff (because I'm not).
I've done a lot of programs and gone through a lot of different phases in my training over the years. But although I've done my share of program-hopping (switching programs without giving each one a thorough run), I've sustained a lot of them for long periods of time. I'd say the factors that keep me on track are:
--The experience of getting better at things I do consistently, and the positive reinforcement that comes from that.
--Figuring out what I really like to do (in terms of both drills and programming).
--Picking programs that logistically fit my current life circumstances.
--Enjoying the feeling of liberation that comes with making a decision and then just putting in the work. Variety and novelty can be fun, but constant decision-making is stressful.
Does anyone have any insight or opinions on why I'm like this? Is it a lack of discipline or maybe just my handling of stressors in my life?
Not knowing you, I have no insight into why you are like this. I will say that, in general, I find discipline overrated.
By far my first priority in my training is whether it is fun. Life is short and in many situations we don't have free choice. In choosing training drills and programs we do. One of my favorite quotations is by GK Chesterton: “It is not only possible to say a great deal in praise of play; it is really possible to say the highest things in praise of it. It might reasonably be maintained that the true object of all human life is play. Earth is a task garden; heaven is a playground.”
Discipline is a fine thing, taken in moderation. Sometimes you just have to suck it up and do what you have to do. However, I don't really want to live my life on the basis of forcing myself to do things I'd rather not do. And I certainly would not like to live my life with the mindset that every moment and decision is a test that I have to pass by forcing myself to make the less pleasant choice.
It's good to have discipline when you need it, but I'd rather be able to avoid needing it as much as possible.
One of my life rules is: "Set the alarm for the time you want to get up and get up when it rings. The snooze button does not exist."
I get up at 3:45 every workday. This is not at all a matter of discipline, and takes zero willpower. I have to be at work early, don't like to feel rushed, and like some quiet time to shower, dress, walk the dog, make and eat breakfast, have coffee, read the newspaper, and mentally prepare for my day. So I get up early enough to do those things. Instead of considering this discipline, I look at it as doing things the way I prefer (as opposed to discipline being forcing yourself to do something you would prefer not to do).
IMO, the key to sticking with a program is picking a program you can stick with. Make it what you want to do, instead of what you need to force yourself to do, whether it's committing to specific structured program, or designing a framework for more freestyle programming (or anywhere in between).
This takes a bit of honest self-reflection to figure out, but it's a lot easier, and takes a lot less willpower and discipline, to do something you really want to do. Then, once you make the decision, you can set your mind that there isn't any more decision making from that point forward (or at least for a reasonably long period before you reevaluate). If you have to make a new decision every day to stick to a program, that takes a lot more willpower and discipline than just deciding once. It's very liberating not to have to make a choice.
Maybe this is all just a semantic game I play with myself, but I think there's actually a substantive difference between having a little person inside your head cracking a whip and yelling, "You HAVE to do this!," and having a little person inside your head saying, "Now you GET to do this!" Partly it's a difference in mindset, but more than that it's figuring out how to make compromises (almost everything in life is a compromise) that are easier to live with rather than harder to live with.