4 Quick Tips: Goal Setting for Competition
Your last competition is over, you’re starting to settle into your off-season routine, and now you’re wondering what’s next?
Goal setting for the up-coming year may seem like no-brainer, but do you know how? Do you know what to do with them once you’ve written them down? Do you know what you’re willing to sacrifice to reach those goals (YIKES)? If that last question gives you a little anxiety - unclench your jaw, lower those shoulders, light some incense and let the tips below be your guide.
Ruthlessly Eliminate Your Goals
One of the biggest barriers to achieving your goals? Other goals. You probably have a lot going on and way more than one goal, but that means your goals are competing for your time and attention. Take stock and figure out which goals you can set to the side while you focus on one goal at a time. And while you’re pressing pause on a few goals you also may need to pause some activities. In my case – the weekend Netflix binge had to go while I was writing my first set of blogs. See what I do for you? Eliminating (or delaying) some goals and activities will help you zero-in on what’s really important.
2. Reverse Engineer
You’ve identified your goals – that part may have been fairly easy. Now you can start to create the steps needed to reach them. This is easier to do if you reverse engineer your goals. So start at your goal then work your way backwards. One of my clients wanted to be able to do 10 pull-ups. So she knew before she reached 10 she would need to do 9 pull-ups, then 8, then 7…you get the idea. To be able to even do one she knew she needed to work on her assisted pull-ups every single day. And before she could get to that step? She needed to exercise the back muscles she would need to do the pull-ups twice a week. She got to the bottom of her to-do list and found her starting point. Voila!
3. Stack Your Habits
“Research has shown that you are 2x to 3x more likely to stick to your goals if you make a specific plan for when, where, and how you will perform the behaviour. Psychologists call these specific plans “implementation intentions” because they state when, where, and how you intend to implement a particular behaviour.” - James Clear
So if I had a client who wanted to create a habit of working out five days a week. I would have him/her write the following:
I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise at 3:00 in the barn on Monday, Thursday and Friday.
I will partake in at least 30 minutes of vigorous exercise at 6:00 at the gym on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Then on top of that, I would have them combine a new habit to complete at the same time as a current habit.
Before I take my morning shower (current habit), I will do 10 push-ups (new habit).
4. Set Boundaries
When you first start taking the steps to reach a new goal it’s exciting! And, of course, you want to be pushing to make progress. But burn out is real. You don’t want to be doing so much that the amount of progress you’re making is unsustainable for long periods of time. An example? You want to lose five pounds this month. Great! But you DON’T want to lose more than 10. There’s your boundary. If you’re losing more than 10 pounds in a month you’re most likely doing things it would be hard to do for two months in a row (or maybe even two weeks in a row). That would be a major goal bummer.
How to Measure Your Goals
Results are fun to see, so if you can measure something it’s easier to improve. Numbers and tracking those numbers will tell us if we’re getting closer to our goal. Start by creating a weekly calendar for the tasks you need to complete. At the end of the week tally up how many of the tasks you completed. For the ones you didn’t get to? You’ll need to write down WHY you didn’t get to it. This will help you address the reason and make sure you don’t go for a two-peat. At the end of the month tally your grand total, and this should help to keep you motivated. Soon those tasks will become habits, and those habits will lead you right to your goals.
So get out your phone or computer or notepad/pen or construction paper/crayons (I’m not here to judge) and let’s get after it!
Got Questions about your goals? Then drop me a line below!👇🏻
