Last week, I asked if you were ready to make the necessary changes to achieve your lifestyle goals for 2015 and beyond.
If the answer is yes, then this week I am going to share with you the most effective way to make your dreams a reality.
I use a version of SMART, a mnemonic representing the five things you need to do to succeed in virtually anything.
It is a way of breaking down your goals and planning a path to success. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail and it’s vital that you write it down. So, before we get onto the plan itself, this is what you need to do…
Get some sheets of paper and a pen. This works much better to start with than drawing up something on your PC. Write down all your resolutions, goals, lifestyle changes you wish to achieve this year. It may be just one or many small things. If there are many, put them in order of size and importance. Now we need to apply the SMART principles to your list.
Specific: Look at everything you have written down and make sure that you have been specific. If you want to lose weight, how much? If you want to change your diet, how? If you want to get fitter, what activities will you do? Spend time with the family; switch your mobile off, etc.
Measurable: How will you measure your success? Obviously, weight can be monitored by weighing yourself, but decide how often. Changing your eating habits can by monitored with a food diary and a decision to eat fast food one day a week/month; if you decide you will take up walking or running, distance and time can be monitored to see progress.
Assess and Adjust: You will have to do this on a regular basis. You may have been over-ambitious or find that you are doing much better than expected. It’s important that you challenge yourself to stay interested, but be realistic.
Realistic: It’s vital that you choose goals you are able to achieve. Again, are you willing and able to make those necessary changes? Are you trying to do too much too soon? Have you allowed enough time?
Time: How long will it take to achieve these realistic goals? If you want to lose 20kgs, allow a year. If you have lots of goals, timetable them over a few months rather than try to do too much all at once. Time also relates to length of time and time of day you will exercise/eat, etc – it’s important to timetable this otherwise you will run out of time.
The Plan: Finally, draw up a timetable on a sheet of paper (or spreadsheet on PC). I’m sure you can find an app if you prefer, but having this on a wall in a prominent place works really well (more on this next week). The timetable will be from the day you start, to the day you hope to achieve your goal. For example, if you want to lose 20kgs in a year, your timetable will be 12 months long, perhaps broken down into weeks or months with space to track your weight.
