What Went Right? You Had a Great Plan!

Believe it or not, you've come a long way. I know, I know. You haven't actually done anything yet, in the sense that your behavior hasn't changed yet. But, that's okay. You've done a lot of important up front work. You've nailed down the behavior that you want to work on. Time to get started, right?

Hold on a second!

Don't just go rushing into behaving differently. You need a plan. And I'm not talking about any kind of plan. I'm talking about a sure-fire plan that takes its form based on what the science is telling us.

You probably succeeded at self-change last time because you had a concrete plan that was realistic and that considered hindrances. If you didn't, consider yourself lucky because the research is clear . . .

Be Specific, Detailed, Concrete . . .

Detailed and concrete plans are the way to go if you want to get something done. And changing a habit is a big something. A hazy promise to yourself to "exercise more often" or "to work harder" is not a plan. A bad plan would be something like: I'll exercise three times a week. A better plan would be: I'll exercise Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. A rather good plan would be: I'll run on Mondays, swim on Wednesdays, and do yoga on Fridays. A super-duper plan would be: I'll run on Mondays for thirty minutes at the gym at 5 PM. I'll swim 40 lengths (front crawl 20, breast stroke 10, back stroke 10) at at 6 AM on Wednesdays. I'll go to the community centre yoga class at 4:30 on Fridays. Now, that's more like a plan!

Be Realistic, Consider Obstacles

And your plan has to be realistic. You need to consider ways that you might get slowed down or put off course. The research is also pretty clear on this point.

Ask yourself questions like, "Is it realistic for me to think that I'm going to get in the pool at 6 AM?" Maybe a later time? Run for 30 minutes? Really? Maybe 20 to start? A quick walk the rest of the time?

If your plan is too "pie-in-the-sky," you run the risk of feeling like an underachiever when you don't follow through. Very discouraging.

In constructing your realistic plan remember also to consider of obstacles. What about bad weather on Mondays? If you're planning to run outside you might need a back up plan. What about injuries? Are there times when you don't get enough sleep? What's your back up plan for then?

A good plan, one that is concrete, realistic, and considers obstacles, will help you feel in control of your actions. It will act as a constant reminder of what you are supposed to be doing.

So, take a moment and write down your plan. What do you want to do? What are the steps. When will you do what you are planning? With whom will you do it?

But, it's not enough.

Two posts from now: What Went Right? You Made Mini-Plans (although you probably didn't know it)

BUT

Next Post: How to Get the Most out of the "What Went Right?" Posts

For more from yours truly, visit me at My Bad Habits. I am also on Twitter.