October 27, 2010

Chunk it out

I wonder how many flex points that would be?


Recently I've seen people (myself included) set some pretty hefty goals, like:

.....I am going to lose 25lbs between now and the end of the year
.....I am going to stay complete on-plan for the whole month
.....I am going to hit the gym 6 days a week starting tomorrow
.....I am going to run a marathon this year
.....I am going to cook up every piece of CSA produce before it goes bad!

Ha! Not saying it can't be done, but that is a lot of goal to swallow.

So here is the thing.

When I put those kind of big goals out into the universe, they seem just so unbelievably overwhelming. Bumps are bound to happen.

Halloween candy anyone?

And it is amazing to me how one goal (say, a big work goal) can end up affecting other goals (say, weight loss goals.) 

Case in point.  Big projects are always overwhelming for me. And then I get stressed. And then it gets hectic. And when it it hectic, I scarf down food quickly, or skip a meal, and then the stress and emotions (for me anyway) make me turn to poor food choices instead of healthier alternatives.

With big work projects, some great mentors along the way helped me learn to "chunk it out" making smaller milestones to help get to the big one. The same principle applies to weight loss, exercise, a long run, a race, or really any goal. So instead of looking at the big long term goal, I break them up into digestible smaller ones, then celebrate those victories and then move on to the next one. Bite by itty bitty bite.

This week I am making some mini goals instead of the big OVERWHELMING goal. I like the “I didn’t snack between work and dinner” or “I planned my lunch menu before going out rather than picking off the menu willy-nilly” or “I wrote everything down this week” kind of goals.  I can celebrate them and it will get me to the big OVERWHELMING goal in no time.

My mini goal this week is to use up the food stocked in our freezer first before going for the quick sammich. And...since it is Halloween and I want to stay accountable, I will write everything down this week.  Got a fresh tracker and I'm ready to go. 

What are your mini goals you are going to crush this week?

4 comments:

Andrew Opala said...

I like your observation on goals ... I'm currently loosing 3 pounds a week and I'm into my 4th week of running over 25 miles a week. That's not a lot but the pounds are melting away. Weight-loss was never my goal, but I could have easily said I want to lose 12 pounds in the next month and I would have been right!

But mini goals are what I set with my coach. Loose from 2-3 pounds a week. I'm a hefty 255 lbs. and I'm only 5'11".

... you VEMI's are clever (or should I say ISFJ's)

Douglas A. Waltz said...

The only goals I manage to keep are the ones involving my full load of classes. That and doing my qigong and meditation. I do manage a minimum of three bike rides a week and have started back on my stair stepper for indoors because soon the snow will be too deep to ride in.

Christy Z. said...

@Andrew. Ha! I test as a E/I often. And your VEMI test was no different, other than the first bullet, I totally had 3 of the 4 Ps. So thank you for reading and commenting on my blog :)

Nice job on your 25+ running streak! And the lbs down! I love how goals are related like that.

(To take Andrew's running quiz, check out http://runningmanwannabe.blogspot.com/2010/10/whats-your-running-style.html)

Delane said...

I agree. I really like to lose 20 lbs by the end of the year. Realistic NO. So my goal 10, realistic YES.

I'm one of those, set my exceptions low, and be thankful for anything beyond it that happens.

I also think people who think they can change their diet and make it to the gym 6 days a week without failing are idiots. Its too much. Try one thing at a time.

Delane

Check out my CSN Store giveaway

http://euphoricagony.blogspot.com/2010/10/csn-store-giveaway.html