The key to achieving goals
by TheDarkTrumpet on 2008-04-06 20:23:45
by TheDarkTrumpet on 2008-04-06 20:23:45
How do people normally try to do something like losing weight, or watching less TV, or whatever? If you are like me, we set a time of saying "I'm going to start at the beginning of the week", then set these huge goals. We work and work at them, and find out that we can't reach the goals we set. What happens? We quit. According to wikipedia, 12% of people who make new years resolutions actually succeed.<br>
<br>
So what's the problem?<br>
<br>
Very vague and overzealous goals really put a hamper on trying to accomplish anything. This is very similar to the business world (something I learned from my job), where having small achievable and trackable goals that have clear benchmarks really lead to success. So how do we proceed? In my opinion, and I'll give my plan that I'm going for later, is to create a overall goal - say "to exercise more regularly", or "to run 1 mile". From there, using one's current ability, come up with a plan to meet some benchmark (a mini one of above) in 2 weeks. Then define what you need to do to get there. After that, keep track of every day, keeping in mind that you're getting a little closer to your goals. For the first month, keeping up on a new habit is going to be tough - so keeping accurate records and all will help.<br>
<br>
So lets set a goal for myself. I need to be careful for myself because I have the habit of trying to set too many goals and then not achieving any of them. So I'm going to set one big goal - to lose 25 pounds. How soon do I want to do this? Lets say 3 months. So by July 1st, I want to be 25 pounds lighter. How many pounds is that per month? 8.3 (gonna round down for the first month) - so 8 through april, 9 through may, 8 through june. How many pounds is that per week? Roughly 2. My goal also by July 1st, and this follows the above one pretty closely, is to run a mile. How do I accomplish this? Since I want to keep on the same schedule as the above one, I need to first have regular exercise every day. To reach the ability to run that far, I need to be able to walk that far at least, which I can do now but need to build some strength yet. So for April I plan to be able to walk 1 hour every day (by the end of april). By the end of May I want to be able to run 1/2 a mile with no problems. By the end of June, I want to be able to run a mile. This all in list format is:<br>
<b>By End of April</b>
<ul>
<li>-8 Pounds (yeah, intentionally keeping this value kinda vague)</li>
<li>Routine of walking or general exercise for 1 hour per day (6 days out of a week)</li>
</ul>
<b>By end of May</b>
<ul>
<li>-9 pounds</li>
<li>Routine of walking or general exercise for 1 hour per day (6 days out of a week)</li>
<li>Ability to run 1/2 a mile</li>
</ul>
<b>By end of June</b>
<ul>
<li>-9 pounds</li>
<li>Routine of walking or general exercise for 1 hour per day (6 days out of a week)</li>
<li>Ability to run a full mile 2 days out of a week</li>
</ul>
I think these goals are pretty achievable, and this is pretty narrow down on where I want to get to. Personally I'm building plans to measure by the week, and then measure food intake, keeping track of my exercise, and so on - every day. This is a bit of a chore, and will add some overhead every day, but if I keep it simple, and keep a listing of foods I like and their calories/fat, then over time this process will get easier and easier. The beginning is always hard, here's where the fun begins though :)
<br>
So what's the problem?<br>
<br>
Very vague and overzealous goals really put a hamper on trying to accomplish anything. This is very similar to the business world (something I learned from my job), where having small achievable and trackable goals that have clear benchmarks really lead to success. So how do we proceed? In my opinion, and I'll give my plan that I'm going for later, is to create a overall goal - say "to exercise more regularly", or "to run 1 mile". From there, using one's current ability, come up with a plan to meet some benchmark (a mini one of above) in 2 weeks. Then define what you need to do to get there. After that, keep track of every day, keeping in mind that you're getting a little closer to your goals. For the first month, keeping up on a new habit is going to be tough - so keeping accurate records and all will help.<br>
<br>
So lets set a goal for myself. I need to be careful for myself because I have the habit of trying to set too many goals and then not achieving any of them. So I'm going to set one big goal - to lose 25 pounds. How soon do I want to do this? Lets say 3 months. So by July 1st, I want to be 25 pounds lighter. How many pounds is that per month? 8.3 (gonna round down for the first month) - so 8 through april, 9 through may, 8 through june. How many pounds is that per week? Roughly 2. My goal also by July 1st, and this follows the above one pretty closely, is to run a mile. How do I accomplish this? Since I want to keep on the same schedule as the above one, I need to first have regular exercise every day. To reach the ability to run that far, I need to be able to walk that far at least, which I can do now but need to build some strength yet. So for April I plan to be able to walk 1 hour every day (by the end of april). By the end of May I want to be able to run 1/2 a mile with no problems. By the end of June, I want to be able to run a mile. This all in list format is:<br>
<b>By End of April</b>
<ul>
<li>-8 Pounds (yeah, intentionally keeping this value kinda vague)</li>
<li>Routine of walking or general exercise for 1 hour per day (6 days out of a week)</li>
</ul>
<b>By end of May</b>
<ul>
<li>-9 pounds</li>
<li>Routine of walking or general exercise for 1 hour per day (6 days out of a week)</li>
<li>Ability to run 1/2 a mile</li>
</ul>
<b>By end of June</b>
<ul>
<li>-9 pounds</li>
<li>Routine of walking or general exercise for 1 hour per day (6 days out of a week)</li>
<li>Ability to run a full mile 2 days out of a week</li>
</ul>
I think these goals are pretty achievable, and this is pretty narrow down on where I want to get to. Personally I'm building plans to measure by the week, and then measure food intake, keeping track of my exercise, and so on - every day. This is a bit of a chore, and will add some overhead every day, but if I keep it simple, and keep a listing of foods I like and their calories/fat, then over time this process will get easier and easier. The beginning is always hard, here's where the fun begins though :)