Track Your Habits & Reach Your Goals
Be Clear
When it comes to achieving goals, the first and most important step an individual must take is to create a series of specific action steps that, when carried out routinely, will help lead to the desired outcome. Here’s why details are vital ... Imagine two equally talented teenage golfers, each of whom dreams of playing in college; while both are “committed” to doing the work, they go about pursuing their dreams differently.
Golfer #1 knows he’ll need to work hard in order to improve his game and make himself college-ready, so tells himself he will practice four-days a week, lift weights three-days a week, and remove sugar from his diet. Pretty good, right?
Golfer #2 also knows he’s got a long way to go before he can compete at the collegiate level, so he, too, comes up with a plan. His is slightly different, however. It’s more involved. For instance, his three-days of weekly practice are outlined.
Day One: 45-minutes on the range followed by 60-minutes of putting
Day Two: 60-minutes of work on the short game followed by 30-minutes of putting
Day Three: 60-minutes on the range followed by 45-minutes of work on the short game
Day Four: One round of 18 holes followed by 30-minutes of whatever needs most attention
His three days a week of weight training are similarly detailed, and his diet is designed to reduce carbs and add protein so he can add the sort of strength that will make him a more physical golfer.
All of this, by the way, he records in a spreadsheet, allowing him to track his progress and chart his improvement. The lesson here? Be like Golfer #2 because when it comes to achieving goals, having detailed habits is step-one in moving to the head of the class ... Of course, effective plans don’t amount to much if they aren’t followed regularly.
Be Consistent
The popular belief that hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard cannot be overemphasized. History is filled with examples of gifted people who failed to reach their potential. That’s why you’ve never heard of them! Seriously, though, individuals who put in the work are generally the ones who reap the rewards. Why then, if this is widely understood to be true, don’t we all just put forth the effort needed to achieve our goals?
In this case, simple doesn’t always mean easy! Think about it. When you’re tired, bored, stressed, distracted, depressed, etc. summoning the discipline to hit the books or the gym suddenly becomes more difficult. And, if you’re like most people, you might choose to take the day off, promising yourself that tomorrow will be different – that you’ll get back on track. This is precisely the reason why most people fall short of their reaching goals, even extremely meaningful ones. Fortunately, there’s a proven method for helping people stick to habits they’re trying to instill, and you might be surprised to learn what it is ...
Think Small
You read that right ... Think small. While it seems counterintuitive, if you consider the reasoning behind it, you begin to understand the upside to this approach versus following the standard advice to “dream big.” First, developing any new skill or habit brings with it a certain level of frustration. That’s what learning is all about – stumbling, improving and growing. By setting the bar high with lofty goals and dreams, we increase the likelihood that when we encounter these challenges we give-in to feelings of hopelessness, throwing up our hands as if to say, “I’ll never succeed in reaching my goals.”
On the other hand, focusing on gradual changes in our habits – ones we can master – sets us up to believe that, in time, we can be successful in attaining what we’ve set out to accomplish. These small, yet consistent, wins program us to see frustration as manageable and not overwhelming; this positive reinforcement pushes us forward with confidence, leading us progressively closer to the finished product we imagined from the beginning.