In my last post I talked in depth about How to Create Goals that WORK for YOU! and I broke down the steps to take to create realistic and specific goals that are relevant to what you actually desire.
Here, in Part 2, I help you analyze how you did on your weekly goal as well as how to take the next step forward to progress yourself towards your big picture goal! Because progress is really what we are going for here, right?
Alright, so let's dive right into it! And don't dip out too soon...I've got a FREE download for you at the end!
To begin, I want you to pull out your goal setting sheet from last week where you wrote out your very specific goal and how you were going to accomplish it for the week. And then flip that piece of paper over and let's get curious about how we did on it!
4 Steps to Analyze Your Progress:
Getting Curious: How did your week go in regards to your goal? What worked about it? What made it challenging or difficult for you? Think in depth into how your new habit fit into your daily routine or if timing needs adjustment, if you need different reminders or if the ones you have in place worked well, if you felt overwhelmed by or in control of the habit?
Incorporate Flexibility: If you could change one thing about your goal and the behavior you targeted for last week, what would it be? This again could be timing, location, preparation, how many days per week or times per day, etc. Or, if it worked out perfectly, then maybe you don't need a change!
Assess the Challenge: How hard was it for you to achieve your goal from last week? On a scale of 1-10, how easy was it for you to modify your behavior? (1 = so difficult I couldn't even do it one day, 10=so easy that I am pretty much doing this every day anyway) Then write down what your number between 1 and 10 is. If it is less than a 7, we need to reassess a little bit. If you were below a 7, go back to number 2 and use that one thing to re-create your goal for the week - making it specific and realistic - using How to Create Goals that WORK for YOU! If you are a 7 or above, that means that you had enough of a challenge to creating a new habit without feeling overwhelmed or like the goal was too extreme for you to tackle. And that's great, because then you will be able to stick with this goal again next week to continue to create this awesome new habit!!
Yay or Nay? Does this goal still align with what you feel like you have time and energy for in your life right now? Does it give you a sense of motivation to head towards your overall goals? If you answer yes to these questions, then keep it and go for it again next week! If not, ditch it and choose a different behavior to target that will lead you towards your goals. There is nothing worse than feeling like your goal was taking up too much of your time or taking time away from your family or the things you care about - so keep in mind that if you're feeling too stretched it is OK to reassess and adjust. The whole point is to create a goal that WORKS for YOU. Not one that makes you feel like you can't accomplish what you're setting out to achieve - which ultimately is going to result in you throwing in the towel on yet another nonsensical goal.
If you find yourself looking at number four and wondering, "How long do I keep doing this same goal for?" that's a great question! Generally speaking, it takes more than one week for you to create a new habit and become the master of it. When using this tool with my clients, I have them continue targeting the behavior until they can look at number 3 above, Assess the Challenge, and say without a doubt that they are at a 9 or 10. That tells you that you have created this habit and it is going to stick! Sometimes that takes anywhere from 3-5 weeks depending on how much of a challenge the habit is for you, as well as how well you have set your progression up in order to be successful with it.
Once you have reached the point that this new behavior is a habit - you're naturally doing it without even thinking about it - you select another area to target that brings you closer to your big picture goal, and start the process over again creating another new habit! It really is that simple!
Because I love you and want to see you succeed, I've uploaded my goal setting sheet HERE for you to download for FREE!! And as always, I am happy to chat about any questions you have about goal setting or other various health and fitness related subjects, just leave a comment!! And if you want my expert help with Coaching through this process and you're serious about making a change in your Health & Wellness, message me through my Contact Form on my site, or via Instagram or Facebook @theexercisemommy.
All the Mom Love!
~Dawn~
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