Having followed along with the last few posts, you will have learned about the benefit of focusing on your skills rather than weaknesses. You may also have been reminded about the power that lies in focusing on what you want to be able to do in the future and about the power that lies in creating plans that are put into place now to make that future possible. But, most of us also know that all too often we make the best plans and for many different reasons we do not follow through. So for the last blog in our focus series, we’ll look at what science tells us about increasing our chance of ‘following through’ – or of being an “inclined actor” rather than an “inclined abstainer”.
Whether our plans are around exercise, chores or study, one common problem in not following through with the best laid plans is that of finding it hard to get going. Sometimes this can stop us from getting going altogether (making us “inclined abstainers”) and sometimes it can lead to quite a delay in taking the first steps. Most often the reason for this is that we get carried away in the excitement of the moment of making plans . The plan and steps in the plan are far too complex and/or a long way away from our current habits and abilities. So, the first thing to do when making a plan, is to make the first steps very easy – almost trivially easy – and to plan them for a point in time that is very close to the time of making plans. If you want to plan like a proper pro, you might even schedule the plan in your pen and paper or digital diary, add it to another regular commitment that is already in your (weekly or daily) schedule and even share the plan with someone for that extra bit of accountability.
A second common reason for plans to falter is that of roadblocks or “derailments”. Getting up to go to the gym after the ‘roadblock’ of a bad night is hard. Studying might not be possible because of ‘roadblocks’ such as other commitments that have cropped up. A very effective strategy around that is to make specific plans for the most common roadblocks we know of. So, if you frequently lose sleep because your littles ones are teething or the dog barks in the night, you might put your gym gear in the car the night before. That way, on days where the morning was just too hard, you can go to the gym straight after work/before going home. If you know that sometimes your home environment can be noisy and tricky to study in, you might make a plan to go to the library on those days. Having these ‘if-then’ rules, as they have become known in science, can prove a game changer in sticking to a plan and making some real progress.
A final problem leading to best laid plans not being followed through is a lack of review. A regular review is important in multiple ways. Firstly, there is benefit in reviewing the goal itself. Check whether the goal of the plan is still relevant and if not, adapt the goal and the plan. For example, if you are struggling with an injury, make sure not to jeopardise your rehab by powering through your exercise plan, but work to adapt it. Secondly, review the steps along the way. Ask yourself whether the steps are still serving the goal. Along the way, you will have learned a lot about yourself, the goal and skills and so on and all of this allows you to re-assess and plan different, better steps. Finally, review whether the different actions or steps were effective. For example, did the ‘if-then’ plan for exercise on rainy days work or are rainy days still leading to ‘rest days’ – a bit of a problem in autumn when there are more rainy days than sunny days. So what else can you put in place as a rule for you so that autumn does not stop you in your tracks?
If you are keen to learn more about how your focus, or where and how you pay attention, impacts on your movement follow me or subscribe to the blogpost. To work with me one-on-one to apply some of these principles to your own life and movement, message me for a free call. I look forward to hearing from you.
References (for the extra keen)
Clear (2018)
Gollwitzer & Sheeran (2006)
Lally et al. (2010)
Sheeran & Webb (2016)