You already know what we need to get done but why aren’t you doing it? Quite the mystery ain’t it? The problem is that you immediately answer with...
“It’s because I am too lazy“ or “I don’t have the motivation” or “I am not disciplined enough” etc. These answers show the bad sides and the flaws of who we are. I feel this is a problem, don’t you? I mean, do you get motivated when someone is talking down on you and making you feel bad about yourself? We would imagine not, so why do you do it to yourself? You may or may not know this but sometime during you upbringing someone close to you was telling you that you aren’t good enough so be better. (I know this blog is about the “3 best ways to make sure you get things done” but I promise it all connects and I will share with you the ways to do such.) How does what we just shared relate to getting things done? Let me explain. Your mind has been programmed to tell you that you
need to do more so when you set expectations that are so high during times of struggles they are too hard to meet. When you don’t meet them you tell yourself, at the back of your mind, that you aren’t good enough to reach these expectations. Can you imagine telling yourself this every-time you don’t meet your standards? Horrible right? Let’s take it to a deeper level. Entertain this thought just for a second. It may seem silly but I promise it will help and you may even feel something. Are you ready?... ...Imagine you are talking to your 5 year old self and you tell that person the same things you tell yourself when you don’t get done what you need to get done. “You are not good enough”. “What is wrong with you?”. “Just stop, you will never get it done”. “Are you stupid?”. “Other people can do it so why can’t you? It’s because you are the weakest and have no self discipline”. I can go on and on but do you see? How would the 5 year old feel? What would it’s life be like? So now that we know where it has come from, setting these high expectations, let’s fix it. I would love to help you through the whole process but from my experience, these things require time. However, here some things you can start out with.
1. Reminding yourself of goal and reason
Clearly define your outcome. What is it that you want? What result are you creating? The clearer it is the more you can an actionable plan with it. Vague answers like “Just be healthy” or “To just feel good” are good but not great. I will give an example of a clear goal, “To be confident in the way I talk to people during a social gathering/event and enjoy the company of others through challenging my body by consistently working out daily”. As you can tell there is also a strong reason to workout daily which is to gain ”social confidence”. Clarity and a passionate reason are your keys to creating a great goal.
Do you ever forget to do something because you have so much on your mind? You say, “Oh! It totally forgot, it just slipped my mind”. That is because as we grow older we have more responsibilities and we can only focus on a handful of things until some of them are forgotten. A great principle to remember is “If it isn’t written down then it will never happen”. If it is important then it is worth writing down or being blocked into a schedule. This also works for things other than your workout. Block a time in your calendar so you don’t have to remember it yourself. You have a second brain, your calendar, to remind you.
3. Breakdown goals into bite size actions Can you eat a cake whole? Of course not. This is the same with your goal. There are certain actions that needs to be done on a daily basis in order to create the outcome you desire. What kind of behaviour do you need to adapt? What actions do you need to perform day in and day out to develop these behaviours.
Here is an example. Goal: Sleep 8 hours/night without interruption.
Behaviour: Develop a night routine that helps put the mind at rest.
Actions: Prepare clothes, food and other necessities for the next day. Place phone away from the bedroom to eliminate distractions before bed.
All this is great information and there are tons more like it out there on the web but guess what? Only “ACTION” and taking action consistently with get you to your goal. Without it, nothing will be done.
Remember, a decision is not a decision without action. Will you take action?