I recently listened to a podcast where James Clear (bestselling author of Atomic Habits) was the guest. He was talking about New Year’s Resolutions and how they flat-out don’t work.
(If you already gave up on yours, you don’t need to raise your hand…😉)
But he said building habits DOES work, and there are keys to setting a new habit successfully. One key is to feel rewarded, and often that is by seeing the progress toward your goal.
But what if the thing you’re working on is slooooow progress that isn’t visible until you have already established the habit?? Like, losing weight, for instance.
Try a GOAL TRACKER! Simply mark off the days that you do “the thing” and visually see your accomplishments stacking up. So, even when you don’t see the difference or progress you’re striving for from day-to-day, you’ll still see yourself achieving your goal.
Of COURSE you want to see my dogs!
One of my goals for this year is to walk my dogs for at least 20 minutes every day. It sounds super easy to do, but I live in Minnesota, and sometimes thinking about how much my face will hurt when I go out in the winter makes staying in sound WAY better. But, they’re active labs and they need the exercise. There is no “progress” to see here. No reward (other than happy dogs.)
So, I track it. I feel better seeing those “x”s line up and I know I am doing something I told myself I would do. I’m keeping my promise to myself… AND to Sadie and Lily.
You can too! Download my free 2020 On Task Goal Tracker now and get tracking!
I have a friend who keeps track of how many days in a row he runs over a mile. If he has an exceptionally busy day ahead, he plans a run around midnight so that he would have at least one mile on each side of the start of the new day. He kept his first run streak alive for well over a year, then when he missed a day, he started over again. I’m not sure where he’s at right now, but in November he posted on Facebook that he had run 574 days in a row. That is so impressive! I marvel at his commitment, and it has inspired me.
I live in Minnesota, and in the winter, I put my road bike on a stationary trainer and “ride it to nowhere”. I hate it. It’s boring and miserable. As a mom of two busy kids who also works full time, I knew that I’d be setting myself up for failure if I tried to shoot for a ride streak. Instead of trying to keep a streak going, I decided to set my own goal and my own way of tracking it. I thought I’d share it here for you, in case it helps you set a new routine and achieve a goal you’ve set for yourself.
I decided that my goal would be to ride my bike to nowhere on most days. That’s kind of a vague goal, I know, but I was shooting for 4/7 days per week. (I’m a realist, so I decided I’d forgive myself if I didn’t make the 4/7 during a week as long as I made up for it in following weeks and hit the bike most days of the month.)
I am a visual person so I needed a visual way to track my progress. I went online and found a free printable calendar that had the whole year on one page, similar to this one I designed for 2019:
Then I got an ultra-fine tip marker in a super fun color and put a small X through the dates that I rode to nowhere. It was so satisfying to see the weeks and months fill with X’s, and it helped keep me motivated. Days without X’s stood out, and served as an in-my-face way to remind me I had missed a day or two… or three, and it was time to get back on the bike.
So, as we get ready to start a new year, rather than referring to our aspirations for change as “resolutions”, which have a reputation of failing after few weeks, let’s refer to them as “goals”. Then let’s measure and track our progress!
If my simple system fits for your goals, please feel free to download, print, use, and share the calendar I created to keep you on task. It’s yours! (If you have any trouble downloading it, just comment below with your email address and I’ll send it your way.)
2019 Printable Calendar
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If my system helps you, I would love to hear about it! Or share the goal-tracking idea that has worked for you! If you have a system and want me to create a handy-dandy tool for you, let’s talk about it!
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I’ve told you about the push I got to attend Christy Wright’s Business Boutique 3 day event in Nashville, TN in early November. Months before the trip, I wrote about that generous gift as well as many of the reasons I had NOT to go, and how I turned those into my reasons TO go:
If you know me well, you know I’m irrationally terrified of flying. I also have two very active kids to drive all over the place, two dogs to worry about, and a full-time job outside of this side-venture. It is also VERY MUCH outside my nature to accept help or gifts like this from anyone. I have a million reasons (excuses?) to turn down this most generous offer. But I have one big reason why I accepted it:
It is 100% outside of my comfort zone.
And it was. My anxiety about the trip increased exponentially as the days approached, specifically about getting on the plane and logistics of the trip, but also about details at home like which kid had practice/games when, how they were getting there, I’d be missing my son’s first hockey game of the season, etc.
Okay. Deep breath. You can do this.
All of the flights went well from a getting-from-point-A-to-point-B standpoint. I thought I was brave… although my husband perceived it a little differently as he saw tears streaming down my face with every takeoff and landing. (I gently reminded him that being brave is not being without fear, it is pushing through your fear.) In any case, we arrived safely with all our luggage and all was well.
At the conference itself, I was inspired, energized, and motivated with practical strategies I have already started putting to use in order to serve you well. I was encouraged to step out from behind my logo and allow you to get to know me personally. I heard speakers who gave me goosebumps and brought me to tears, encouraging me to believe in this business and myself. (Seriously, if you are a woman business-owner, look into Business Boutique.) There were so many takeaways, but the quote from Christy Wright that stood out to me the most was this:
Both faith and fear require believing in something that hasn’t happened yet.
Does that hit you like it hit me? I caught my breath when I heard that one. It’s powerful! But because I wanted to justify my fears, I spent a few moments trying to think of loopholes and reasons this statement isn’t true… but I came up empty. There was no rationalizing the power out of it for me.
Pushing beyond fear in this case meant getting on a plane and leaving my day-to-day life behind in order to invest in myself, and therefore in you. I was vastly rewarded with amazing speakers and information I could immediately take back and apply to my business.
In addition to all of the practical tools I took with me from that event, I also took away a change in perspective: when fear arises and I start to doubt what I’m capable of achieving, I am going to take a deep breath and choose faith. You can too!
Just do it scared. Don’t wait. Don’t wait until you’re “ready”, or until the thing is perfect, or until you get approval from him or her… just #doitscared.
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Tell me about a time you were rewarded for pushing past fear – a time you DID IT SCARED. Or I’d love to hear what you think about the quote about fear & faith – did it hit you like it did me?
You might like this FREE downloadable wallpaper for your smartphone! I put it on my phone to remind me that I have a choice between faith and fear, no matter the situation. (If you have any trouble downloading it, just comment below with your email address and I’ll send it your way.) ::..
photo used in the free download is from pixabay.com user “oadtz”
I recently went on a trip to the Porcupine Mountains with a dear friend. We hiked to a rustic cabin (rustic = no water, no electricity, wood burning stove for heat) with everything we needed for three days loaded on our backs. This is how we celebrate turning 40, I guess.
The trail in was lightly snow-covered. I have no idea if this is normal for the UP of Michigan in the middle of October, but it was certainly different than we had envisioned when we booked the trip 6 months earlier. The fall colors were just past-peak, but contrasted with the white of the snow and the blue of the sky, and it was nothing short of amazing. We navigated huge mud puddles, small creeks, ups and downs, tree roots, rocks, you name it, and we arrived at what was to be our home for two nights.
photo credit: Rochelle Ament
Our plan during the second day was to hike the 4 miles to Lake of the Clouds. After breakfast, we packed up our lunch and headed out. When I say “hike”, I don’t mean a casual walk down a dirt-packed trail. This was rugged terrain, and with recent rain and snow, the hike was a challenge. We often had to navigate our own path around obstacles including ankle-deep water and thick mud. At about four miles, we reached Government Peak. We sat down for a snack and to check the map… we thought we had to be getting close. A look at the map revealed we had hiked 2.1 miles in entirely the wrong direction. A moment of silent disbelief preceded a quick conversation of what we should do next. We were already tired – arriving at Government PEAK meant we had just gone quite a ways up a steep incline. We decided that we’d head back to where we’d made the wrong turn, then start toward Lake of the Clouds and figure it out from there.
We booked it back, covering that 2.1 miles in about 45 minutes. Once we started on the right trail, we decided we were going the whole way. We arrived at Lake of the Clouds, only to find the “real” view, the one we had come for, was over a half-mile away. And it was UP. We knew that going up there would be rewarding, and the sight would be amazing, but we also knew we had a four mile hike back. We had already gone 8 miles, and adding in this extra bit (again, it was UP) would put us over 13 miles for the day. Our legs felt like logs… and not to mention the drips of rain we’d felt, the dark clouds looming, and the shortened daylight that comes with autumn.
I was torn. Although I wanted that reward, I also knew those miles back to our cabin were going to be tough. I knew we could drive up to the overlook the next day… but that did seem like the “easy” way out. It wasn’t that half-mile up that had me concerned, it was the miles after that that seemed so long, with the obstacles and steep inclines to get through. Luckily, my friend didn’t hesitate to start the trek up to the overlook saying, “Kate. We aren’t going to get a half mile from it and turn around.” Never mad but definitely annoyed, I followed. And yes, I was ultimately glad I did. Lake of the Clouds was worth the miles. Every one of them.
We got back to the cabin before darkness began to set in, 7 hours after we had headed out. We filled our bellies with a hot meal and a little vodka (for the sore muscles, you know), and felt the effects of our achievement. As we settled in for the night, I thought about how a piece of me had wanted to quit just short of the goal. If I hadn’t had a good friend to give me that little nudge my brain was having trouble mustering, I don’t know if I would have made the hike up.
I am an independent person and internally motivated. I can often keep myself going in tough situations with positive self-talk and just pure determination. Some might say I’m stubborn. But sometimes, you need a good friend to step in and say the right thing to push you past what you thought you were capable of. It was a risk to ask our bodies to hike that extra distance – we were up against the threat of inclement weather and a time constraint in addition to our weary muscles. I am so grateful that I was on that trip with that particular friend because she is just bull-headed enough to hike on. She knew the reward was worth the risk.
photo credit: Rochelle Ament
The next day, we woke up to around 2 inches of snow on the ground. Had we turned back and not hiked up to the overlook the day before, we would have missed that view. Sure, we could have gone back and the view with snow would have been cool, but those fall colors would have been camouflaged with white, and we would have missed the reason we took the trip.
So what did I learn? So many things… like, I’m not good at cutting up firewood, lake water doesn’t taste that bad, I can hike 13+ miles in a day, and every sound in a pitch black forest in the middle of the night sounds like a bear trying to break into your cabin.
But I also learned that stubborn, independent, determined people (like me) can have moments of weakness, and it’s essential to have people on your team that will push you beyond what you think you’re capable of.
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When has something like this happened to you – where you were hesitant to take a next step, but someone you trust pushed you forward? What did you learn about yourself? I’d love to hear your story about a risk you took because someone gave you the nudge you needed!
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I love the gorgeous leaves, the crisp air, the crunch under my feet as I take a long hike… I love all of it. Not so much the pumpkin spice… you can keep that. I realize it’s an unpopular stance to take, but I MUCH prefer apple cider. Anyway…
I have a new reason to love it, and I’m taking a new perspective on it. After hearing of Rachel Hollis’ #Last90Days Challenge, I started thinking of fall as wiping the slate clean. The world is shedding the skin of summer, preparing for the quiet repair of winter, before moving into the rebirth and renewal of spring. What if we did that with our lives too?
Let go of the idea that because we have space to grow, there must be something wrong with us right now. -Rachel Hollis
Basically, the idea of #Last90Days is to be intentional in our lives during the last three months of the year, instead of just riding it out to get to the new year before we decide to make changes. It’s easy to just coast, or even to just “survive”, as we navigate the holiday season (which seems to start earlier and earlier each year). This challenge is designed to change that and set new habits BEFORE New Year’s Resolution season. Then maybe in place of resolutions that fail after the first few weeks of the year, you’re setting goals… and the behaviors that set you up for success are already in place, so you’re more likely to achieve those goals.
So, instead of just keepin’ on keepin’ on this fall: I am motivated to use these last 90 days intentionally. I’m going to wipe my slate clean and focus on the areas of my life that need quiet repair, so I can head into 2019 better equipped to reach my goals. I have personal goals that include changing my mindset, increasing water and decreasing sugar intake, and being more present. I have professional goals within my business that could sure use that mindset change to boost the probability of success. I’ve already seen some wins as a result of my mental shift… and I’ve already dropped the ball once (or twice) and had to remind myself that it’s ok to fail as long as you pick up and keep going.
Will you join me?
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I would love to hear if you’re going to spend the #last90days making intentional growth as well! What are your focus areas? Comment your intentions and SHARE the idea with your friends – we’re more likely to keep promises we make to ourselves if we are accountable to someone else too.
