Deciding on the correct goals is important, but is usually not enough to actually achieve them. The how is equally as important as the what. I would like to share with you what actions to take after deciding on your goal so you develop skills that will build life changing habits.

SMART goals

The most commonly used system for choosing goals is SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timed).

A weight Loss example may look like

Specific- I want to lose 6kg
Measurable- I will use a scale on a weekly basis
Attainable- I will aim to lose 1.5kg a month
Realistic- I will lose 0.3kg a week
Timed- I will achieve my weigh loss goal on date X (4 months time)

All this information is great, but not enough.

1. We need to break down your goal into specific skills
2. We need to build those skills through daily practices

Example 1

Weight Loss Goal
You want to lose weight and know that you need to make better food choices. You are not sure what to cook and never seem to have the healthier options available to you when you really need them.

Skills
You need to have healthier options available to you

Practice 1
Learning one new healthy recipe a week will keep the options more interesting and experimenting with new foods you may not have tried. I highly recommend this book Gourmet Nutrition 2.0

Practice 2
Preparing your healthier food options in batches two times a week. This will save you time and make better food choices more available to you

Example 2

Training Goal
You want to exercise more regularly and effectively

Skills
You need to know what the best way to exercise is on a regular basis

Practice 1
Hire a great coach to show you how to exercise properly and take you through a structured programmed specifically for you.

Practice 2
Book in your gym time during the week and prioritize it so you can practice getting to the gym on a regular basis

Example 3

Mindset Goal
You struggle to find the motivation to exercise and it's an all or nothing approach

Skills
You need to use habit stacking to reduce the amount of willpower you need to get to the gym

Practice 1
Shape your environment by booking an appointment with yourself or a coach to get to the gym/ class. If it becomes part of your routine it will become second nature

Practice 2
Make a log, tick box list of how many times you aim to hit the gym each week. The more ticks you can string in a row the better you will feel. 3x a week for 48 weeks a year is 144 training sessions. How many more would that be that you managed last year?

When thinking of making goals for yourself in future, go one step further and see which skills learnt by daily practice you need. Put them into action and do them one at a time. As long as you are patient, the results may astound you.

Your in health

Patrick Fallis