Ive been writing about goals and mindset a lot lately, mostly because after working in the industry for almost a decade now, I have found that to be the biggest challenge for most people.
Most people know they need to workout/be more active.
Most people know what to eat more of and what to eat less of.
Most people don’t know how to initiate action on either without; A) being totally depressed because they feel they can only eat broccoli and chicken, or B) starting 150% – and burning out rather quickly – a la the yo-yo dieter.
So what does one have to do to have the best chance at results, maintaining sanity, and staying motivated?
I give you – Goal Optimization Technique and Big F***ing Task Management System Pathway to Success – or GOTBFTMSPTS. ($5 to anyone who can come up with something that rolls off the tongue a little better…)
Where did I come up with this? Well – after reading, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and talking with other great minds, I kind of just threw this together be taking bits and pieces of things that I liked from my sources…
Step 1) Get out a piece of paper or even better a notebook.
Physically writing things out has been proven to be more effective than just saying them or thinking them. Write this stuff out if it’s really that important to you!
Step 2) Write your 3 goals – be specific and be realistic.
- Lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks
- Retire at age 35
- Own 3 sports teams
Are all great, but lets be real here.
***If weight loss is a goal, then I recommend 1% weight loss every 2 weeks***
So lets look at hypothetical person A – Jane. 160 pounds, 40 years old, moderately active, looking to lose another 10 pounds. Thats a 6% weight loss – so about 12 weeks out. Her goals might be:
- Lose 10 pounds by Feb. 1st 2018.
- Start an online retail business for the widgets she makes by January 1.
- Go on a week vacation with her two kids for Spring Break.
So there are her three goals.
Step 3) WHY Are Your Goals Important?
Now is where we dive into the “why”. Why are those goals really important to you. I’ve written on that many times – so I won’t…BUT it is an important step to write out as well! Finding “WHY” your goals are important will get to the root motivational objectives – and will drive you to succeed much better than any motivational speaker or trainer can do.
For more info – read this if you haven’t – “Find Your Why” – Simon Sinek
Step 4) Come Up with Your BFT’s Every Single Day
This is where the money is made. Your BFT’s, or Big “frickin” tasks – are what will get you to your goals. So now that we wrote down the goals, and why they are important, we tuck those away and turn our focus to the TASKS that will get us there.
Write out 3-5 TASKS, not goals, everyday that will get you TO your goals.
They may not be BIG tasks to others, but to you, they are because they will move you towards your goals.
Jane’s could be:
- Workout at home for 45 minutes (Goal 1)
- Plan meals for the week (Goal 1)
- Schedule meeting with web designer (Goal 2)
- Put $5 in the vacation fund (Goal 3)
As she completes those tasks – she crosses them off. Physically crossing things off gives people a sense of accomplishment, and leads to winning the day.
Your BFT’s might stay the same day after day, and thats okay.Some will change, but some you might be writing down everyday – and thats what matters!
When you start winning the days, you start winning weeks, months and years – and that is where you find results.
Will you win every day? Heck no.
But you keep going forward.
If you had a task that you didn’t complete on Day 1, then put it first for Day 2, and don’t ditch it until you cross it off.
So if you have never done this before, and you are sitting here thinking – I don’t have time to do that, or that sounds like some stupid guru BS; I don’t need to write out my goals, and daily tasks…then good luck, thanks for visiting.
BUT, if you have never tried it, what is the harm in trying it? I promise that if you do this system, you will find yourself more productive, feeling more accomplished, and having more success than ever before!
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Stay healthy my friends,