This is a very helpful framework, Kerri! I have to be very specific and realistic in my goals. I've also learned that if I pick strategic small things they act as fulcrums for the other action that I want to take, and I gain momentum. If I fail at the small things then I tend to collapse and give up entirely. Honestly the most helpful go…
This is a very helpful framework, Kerri! I have to be very specific and realistic in my goals. I've also learned that if I pick strategic small things they act as fulcrums for the other action that I want to take, and I gain momentum. If I fail at the small things then I tend to collapse and give up entirely. Honestly the most helpful goals I've made are things that are time-constrained: i.e. eat 20 g of protein by 10 AM every day. It's non-specific enough that it's not idealized, but it makes a huge difference to the whole day. And it may be silly, but if I have a box to check to show that I did it, I'm much more likely to keep doing it. Powersheets has a "tending list" that was super helpful as a framework. I don't use the whole system, because it was overwhelming, but I've copied that one tool and keep it in my planner. When I use it as a check-in I actually make progress. I think in this season of my life it's especially helpful to have the goals broken down by month, weekly, and daily. So then I focus on daily habits, things that I want to have happen at some point x number of times in a week, and large projects/things that need to happen during that month. But it's taken time to figure out how my brain works and set it up for success!
Thanks for sharing what works for you! It's always so interesting to me to hear what works for different people - for me having time constraints makes most things feel like "work" or a "chore" and therefore I'm less inclined to do them - unless it's something I hate doing anyway but really need to do, in which case, I tell myself I have to do the thing for "only" 10 minutes, or "only" one load of laundry... then the time / measurement makes it feel less strenuous.
Do you do visual breakdowns for monthly/ weekly/ daily? So you can see progress? Or does that make it more stressful for you?
I do use a sheet that has a visual breakdown for monthly, weekly and daily habits/goals. That way I can fill in partial progress. It’s helpful for me to have the daily visual & reminder. And most of the time constraints are things like “eat 20 g of protein by 10 AM”
Do you make your own? I've found myself so picky about planners, etc over the years that I've ended up just making what I want (which is usually EXTREMELY plain - no pretty visual distractions for me!)
This is kind of terrible, but I photocopied the one “tending list” I had after I whited out the month. The little boxes at the bottom don’t match up to the days of the week, but I just go off day I’d the month and it works. I print a blank one and then just tuck it in my daily planner. I was thinking that I should just make my own with the same elements. It wouldn’t be too hard...
I'm so old school, I usually just end up making tables in a blank Word doc that are the size/ layout I want. They're beyond simple, but I guess for that reason no one bothers to sell them. Maybe I should try, haha
This is a very helpful framework, Kerri! I have to be very specific and realistic in my goals. I've also learned that if I pick strategic small things they act as fulcrums for the other action that I want to take, and I gain momentum. If I fail at the small things then I tend to collapse and give up entirely. Honestly the most helpful goals I've made are things that are time-constrained: i.e. eat 20 g of protein by 10 AM every day. It's non-specific enough that it's not idealized, but it makes a huge difference to the whole day. And it may be silly, but if I have a box to check to show that I did it, I'm much more likely to keep doing it. Powersheets has a "tending list" that was super helpful as a framework. I don't use the whole system, because it was overwhelming, but I've copied that one tool and keep it in my planner. When I use it as a check-in I actually make progress. I think in this season of my life it's especially helpful to have the goals broken down by month, weekly, and daily. So then I focus on daily habits, things that I want to have happen at some point x number of times in a week, and large projects/things that need to happen during that month. But it's taken time to figure out how my brain works and set it up for success!
Thanks for sharing what works for you! It's always so interesting to me to hear what works for different people - for me having time constraints makes most things feel like "work" or a "chore" and therefore I'm less inclined to do them - unless it's something I hate doing anyway but really need to do, in which case, I tell myself I have to do the thing for "only" 10 minutes, or "only" one load of laundry... then the time / measurement makes it feel less strenuous.
Do you do visual breakdowns for monthly/ weekly/ daily? So you can see progress? Or does that make it more stressful for you?
I do use a sheet that has a visual breakdown for monthly, weekly and daily habits/goals. That way I can fill in partial progress. It’s helpful for me to have the daily visual & reminder. And most of the time constraints are things like “eat 20 g of protein by 10 AM”
Do you make your own? I've found myself so picky about planners, etc over the years that I've ended up just making what I want (which is usually EXTREMELY plain - no pretty visual distractions for me!)
This is kind of terrible, but I photocopied the one “tending list” I had after I whited out the month. The little boxes at the bottom don’t match up to the days of the week, but I just go off day I’d the month and it works. I print a blank one and then just tuck it in my daily planner. I was thinking that I should just make my own with the same elements. It wouldn’t be too hard...
I'm so old school, I usually just end up making tables in a blank Word doc that are the size/ layout I want. They're beyond simple, but I guess for that reason no one bothers to sell them. Maybe I should try, haha