How to plan for Success
Don’t groan, goal setting is a valuable and effective use of time if you do it well. We are all guilty of setting goals or resolutions that we never even try to achieve and it makes us feel like we’ve failed – but that doesn’t mean goal setting is an exercise in futility, it just means you need some help to set the right goals and have the correct support in place to make them happen!
OK, so setting yourself a goal to run a marathon in two months by training in the morning when you work full time and have three kids to get ready for school, are recovering from injury (or an extended period of general apathy when it comes to exercise) and you may just be setting yourself up to fail. Going in too big and too hard may just overwhelm you and have you hitting the off button on the early morning alarm. So what’s the answer?
Glad you asked. First thing to consider is whether or not the goals you are setting are SMART. Many of us fail to reach our goals as we haven’t thought out the process in a clear manner meaning that we end up with objectives that simply aren’t achievable due to timing, realistic aspirations, being too vague or a lack of support mechanisms in place to help us reach the end point.
For example, how many times have you planned to “get fit”? What does that actually mean to you, how are you going to do it, when will you train and what are your milestones along the way and who will support you by looking after the kids while you hit the gym? Working through the SMART framework will have clearly understanding what you really want to achieve, – rather than just getting fit, you may want to be able to run 10km within four months or improve your core strength to help improve a back condition and you want to get started immediately. There is more to it but a quick reference on what SMART goals should look like:
S – Specific – Be clear about what you want to achieve. Narrow it right down so you can work out the steps to making it happen.
M – Measurable – Know how you will measure your progress. What evidence will show you are achieving your goal?
A – Attainable – make sure your goal is achievable. Goals that can be accomplished within a determined period of time will help maintain your motivation. Using your specific goals, work out what you need to have in place to make it happen.
R- Relevant – Does this goal make sense with your long term objectives?
T- Time-based – Set yourself a realistic end date so you keep yourself motivated and focussed.
But wait, there’s more. The SMART framework will help you clarify your thinking and help set some awesome goals but I’ve got some additional simple ideas to help you smash your goals and make 2021 AMAZING!
Steps to Smashing Your Goals
1. Focus – break it down to 1 or 2 goals to work on rather than a confused mix of overwhelming ideas. Give yourself a chance at success!
2. Go with the biggest WHY – choose the goal/s that you connect with emotionally. Wanting to run so you feel better might be it but running to be fitter so you have more energy to play with the kids may be a much stronger reason to get you moving.
3. Commit – Commit the right amount of time, energy and attention to make your goal a reality. Want to be able to swim 1km by March – you need to go to the pool more than once a week for 20 minutes! Make the commitment to yourself that you can and will make your goal happen.
4. Plan It and It Will Happen – plan out your week so that you can be sure you have time allocated to making your goal happen. Book in your training time , make sure your gear is washed and ready to wear – remove the excuses that will stop you attending to your own commitment.
5. And Action – Take action to make your goals happen. Without consistent focus and attention, your goals – like a neglected pot plant – will wither and die! Enact your weekly plans, go to the gym as planned, do not hit the snooze button!
6. Accountability works – tell trusted friends or family what you are working on so they can support and encourage you.
7. Set Deadlines – As mentioned with SMART goals, time-based goals keep your eyes on the prize. A deadline provides urgency and keeps the fires of motivation burning.
8. Rewards – set yourself milestones and reward yourself when you reach them. Get a massage, buy that new dress, take an afternoon to yourself to read a book. Celebrating success is really important!
9. Manage Expectations – be kind to yourself. If you haven’t trained for some time, your fitness will have taken a massive hit so give yourself time to rebuild. Improvement isn’t a linear experience – some days will see you moving forward, other days you may be stuck or fall back a little. Just stay the course and you will get there!
10. Re-evaluate – check in with yourself every few weeks. Are you hitting milestones? Are you on plan? Do you need more support? Is your goal realistic or do you need to break it down further? It’s perfectly OK to readjust as long as you keep moving forward.
Now it’s your turn. Set some goals. Talk to me if you want some help setting achievable goals or if you want to up the ante on your current plans. And let me know if you want me to help you stay accountable. Let’s make it happen!