Gearing up for Goals

“Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip toe if you must, but take the step.”

~Naeem Callaway

Will all the obsessive planners please raise your hand? Okay, awesome! Now will all those who plan obsessively but have a hard time putting your feet to the ground wave that hand you raised? Fantastic! Welcome to the freaking club ya’ll. I plan- I plan and create schedules down to the minute, I plan out and even shop for every single morsel of food that [should] enter our mouths that week, I plan my workout, I plan my outings, I plan my social schedule, I even mentally plan out what yoga pants/ top combo I’ll don each day. Then it happens… “Oh hi, Monday. Since I’m just starting this new schedule I’ll take a couple days to acclimate to the routine then I’ll focus on jumping out of bed on time by Wednesday or Thursday-ish, okay? Don’t want to push it too hard, ya know.” Is anyone here relating or I am I the only one? Maybe I want to know I’m not “that bad” but I feel like I’m not alone here. The best most detailed plan and even an insane amount of motivation and factual list of benefits that are bound to quickly show themselves after a short stint of commitment- all that to wake up on D-day and shrug the shoulders nonchalantly and think it will fall into place eventually. Why is it SO STINKING HARD? More importantly the question is “What am I going to do to fix it?” So lets get a little practical here. I’ll tell you what my plan of attack is for my D-day (Which is March 4th, 2020 in case anyone was wondering).

My key starting point is that I will not let myself ignore my get up time! I have found time and again that the moment I create an excuse to get a couple extra minutes of sleep for this reason, or sip my coffee a little slower for that reason is the second I have failed and messed up my entire day. I’m not a psychologist by any means but there is article after article that says “what you tell yourself is what you become” and of course the old adage “you are what you eat” and if first thing in the morning I’m feeding myself excuses then I’m training my brain to keep excusing anything I possibly can. I’ll find myself at the end of the day with little to show for running around trying to catch up and remembering my “just one cookie won’t hurt- it’s still cutting back and besides, I’m removing temptation for later days” or “I got laundry done 20 minutes faster than I thought I would. I’ve earned a Netflix episode (which always turns into ‘I have time for one more since I’m starting slow anyway’).” So my resolve at 5AM on D-day? NO EXCUSES BEFORE 12PM! That’s right- I can’t shift my obsessively planned schedule or make an excuse for any point before 12PM. If I keep that up for the 21 days it takes to build a habit, I feel confident I won’t recognize myself and will be so proud of everything I’ve accomplished. What is your step #1? Please drop a comment and lemme know!

The best thing I’ve ever done that’s consistently worked for me is utilizing my phone reminders. And because my husband spoils the crap outta me, I also have a smart watch so all reminders get pushed through straight to my wrist (insert awkward white girl happy dance). I shamelessly own my mom brain and I’m thinking I could make a little money from Apple by pitching a new ad campaign “Siri- giving moms back the brain they lost”. Like seriously ya’ll- being able to just give a command to something and it does it properly with no argument is not only refreshing and cathartic for a toddler mom but also a total lifesaver. I will set reminders for everything such as to take my vitamins, start/ check on laundry, to stop at a certain to time make lunch or get dressed for an outing, and even to make a phone call to pay a bill or schedule an appointment. I’ve even used it months in advance to remind me to get my wedding rings inspected and cancel subscriptions before they renew. So better utilizing technology for daily achievements is my next step for goal success. I’m curious- how do you utilize technology to stay on top of life?

And the final way I plan on gearing up for my goals, apart from the aforementioned obsessive micro planning, is honestly kinda cheesy. But hey- I’m a visual learner so you tell me. I’m going to print a couple pictures of me in my “skinny days”, you know one of those pictures that reminds me how good I felt about myself, and put one next to my bed so every morning I see it first thing to motivate me to get up and get going to achieve my fitness goals and the second on the fridge to remind me every time I open it that I better make a smart decision to keep me focused and on track for long term success. Feeding into that concept I also plan on every evening writing a specific to-do list for the next day outside of the normal routine responsibilities so the next morning I have a plan of attack and know exactly what to expect of myself. I have a habit of keeping a running to-do list that I always feel so overwhelmed to tackle and if I “portion out” my to-do list just like I meal prep I’m thinking I’ll be more productive. Thoughts anyone?

Thank you so much for popping by! Please leave a comment with your thoughts, tips, and/ or tricks for success.