The not-so-popular ways to REALLY achieve your fitness & nutrition goals this year pt. 1
6 ways to make the process merely frictionless
1. Figure out your “why”
One of my previous newsletters focused on how to figure out where your motivation comes from and we dove deep into examples of each kind. If you read that publication, you’ll remember motivation can be either intrinsic or extrinsic meaning coming from within or from outside sources. If you’re going through the motions just because, you’ll quickly find that you’re probably not sticking with it and your momentum will slow down or become stagnant.
When this happens, you have to take a step back and ask yourself why you’re doing what you’re doing. If you’re not really sure why you’re doing something go back and read that newsletter so you can get a better understanding of how to frame your mindset around your motivation.
2. Set realistic goals for yourself
If you place your goals too far out of reach, you will never reach them or (metaphorically) almost kill yourself trying to. It’s ok to set big goals for yourself but you have to understand that you are human, obstacles will get in the way, and life will happen. Have a good understanding of the timeline that you have or are giving yourself and ensure that even if something gets in the way, it won’t take such a huge hit to your progress. Once that forward movement hits a speed bump, it’s hard to get out of that rut.
3. Start small
Along with setting realistic goals for yourself, you should start with setting small goals as well. People tend to only look at the big, end goal and completely neglect all the little things that will get them there. It’s the little, daily habits that will make the most significant difference and will add up over time.
4. Celebrate small successes to keep the momentum going
You know those small goals that you just set to hit on your journey to your big goal? Make sure to celebrate those! If you wait until you hit your big goal, you may be waiting a very long time and, sometimes, you may not even hit your end goal. By celebrating the small successes, you keep that forward momentum moving and even if you don’t reach the original end goal, you may be content with your progress that the end goal isn’t your main goal anymore.
5. Make things automatic and replicable
The more automatic the routine is, the easier it becomes. Allow yourself to only have to think about tasks that require deep thought and aren’t part of your every day. This will ensure you make room in your busy brain for the most prioritized tasks. Ways you can do this are:
Using a calendar with repeat events
Keep forgetting to set the trash bin out by the road when trash day comes around? (This is, arguably, the worst feeling of self-disappointment and frustration I’ve felt as an adult). Set a reoccurring event in your calendar that reminds you to set the trash out the night before.
Having the same thing for breakfast most days so you can just batch it and have 2-3 days’ worth of food ready to go
This has saved me many times because it doesn’t matter if I give myself 10 minutes to get ready and get out the door or an hour, I somehow always tend to have just enough time to not be able to eat my breakfast before I leave in the morning. I definitely don’t have time to cook it and wash the dishes so being able to just grab and go something nutritious and satiating has set me up for success for the rest of the day.
Doing things the same way and at the same time
We’re talking about a routine which is exactly this: something is done the same way at the same time every day. However, we have to practice doing these things before we can solidify a routine. Whenever I take my shoes off, I make sure I always put them on the shoe rack so they are out of the way and put where they belong. Before I go to bed, I always wash the dishes so I can wake up to a clean kitchen. The night before I work early, I’ll set my clothes out so I can just get dressed and I don’t have to fumble my half-asleep/half-awake body through my closet to find what I’m going to wear that day.
Because I always do these around the same times and they are fairly simple tasks to do the same way with minor deviation (sometimes I use the dishwasher if there are enough dishes, sometimes I just hand wash), they are easy to maintain and I hardly ever forget to do them.
Having a wakeup, coming home from work, and bedtime to-do list
Doing things the same way and at the same time can be split up into different phases or times of the day. I like to split mine into the following: wake up, home from work, and bedtime. These are my biggest three events throughout my normal every day so it makes like so much easier if I make the things that have to be done at these times automatic and mindless.
The first thing I do when I wake up is make my bed. I know, cliché, but it truly does set me up for more things I can accomplish in my day. If for some reason I had the worst day ever and got absolutely nothing done and wasn’t productive, at least I made my bed. Then I take my dog out, feed him, and start getting myself ready for work. When I get home from work, I will take my dog out once more, we’ll go on a walk, and I’ll unpack my lunch cooler. Before bedtime, I will set out everything I need for the next morning and make sure everything is tidy and ready to go so I don’t wake up to chaos. It might sound pretty simple but that’s the whole point. You want to simplify your routine and make the everyday things so automatic that it takes no thought and you just do them. I, of course, have other tasks that I do during these times or throughout the day but those are the tasks that change on a daily basis depending on my schedule and needs.
To-do lists also help clarify your priorities and help highlight what needs to get done today and what can be put off until tomorrow. Personally, I add everything to a to-do list because if I don’t I will forget it. I honestly don’t think my life could function without Google Calendar!
Having your tasks for the day written down somewhere whether that be electronic or on paper, takes away the responsibility to keep reminding yourself to do something.
6. Add to your existing habits & task batching
It can seem very daunting to add more to your already full plate. One way we can mitigate this feeling is by doing what’s called “task batching”. This means you take common tasks, group them together, and complete them simultaneously during that specified time. If you are prepping tomorrow’s breakfast, go ahead and prep tomorrow’s lunch too since you’re already cooking, dirtying the kitchen, and having to cook it eventually anyway. Taking the dog out on a walk? Grab the trash while you’re heading out and when you’re heading back inside grab the mail. Been wanting to read more? Drink your coffee or tea in the morning while reading a few pages of a book rather than scrolling through Instagram or TikTok. You will see that by adding to your routine you have already, you’ll be able to stick with the changes much easier than if you were to create a brand new one. Task batching saves you a lot of time and helps you knock out more tasks in a smaller timeframe.
Tune in in two weeks for part 2!