This is part 2 of my series on how to make consistent progress towards our goals in a busy, ever changing life. Check out part 1 and part 3 here.
The core of any successful plan is to know what you want to do and why. Understanding the why should make it clear what is essential and what is nice to have. If you don’t already know this, a good PT or a coach should be able to help you really zero in on what matters.
For example, in my marathon training block, my weekly long run is the most important thing. If that’s the only thing that gets done because the week got totally out of control, I have still made an important step towards my goal.
Once you know what you’d like to do, you need to take a few minutes at the start of the week to plan ahead. Check your work and family calendars and make the best plan you can. Don’t just think about what you want to do, think about what you might need to happen.
Negotiating with other people for time is often vital – and knowing what really matters, and why, helps us to explain what we need.
Knowing what matters most helps us prioritise that in our schedule – put the most important thing in the time block that has lowest likelihood of being interrupted.
Trying to do too much is a recipe for burnout and frustration so if in doubt, prune back your ambition a little.
One tip that has worked well for me is finding forced downtime in your week and seeing if you can fit something in then. Commutes are real time sinks – are there ways you could change them to make them serve your goals? Listening to a podcast on a topic that supports your goals you can make even a long car commute productive. Alternatively you could commute by train so you can study or take the bike to get some cardio in.
As parents we spend a lot of time ferrying our kids to activities and then waiting for them to finish. Once past the toddler years, most places didn’t need an adult to wait, so I fitted in a strength training session during swimming lessons and a run while he was climbing.
Commuting and child-taxi services have a hidden advantage – they’re already a consistent part of your week so if you can make them work for you, you have a habit half built already.
Having a custom schedule for a given week gives you a better chance of progressing towards your goals – you have a plan that isn’t impossible before you start.
Of course, life happens and it’s still easy to get derailed – that’s what part 3 of this series is about.
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