Stop, Start, Continue (Part 2)

What do you need to stop doing, start doing, or continue in order to reach your goals? Action Lists

First, Determine Where You Need to Go:

1. What You Want to Accomplish? You Can Reverse Engineer This. Start From the End and Go Backwards. What Steps Will This Require?
2. Review Your Goal Daily as a Reminder. It also Motivates You.
3. Track Progress Regularly. Brainstorm Ways You Can Measure Your Goals.

Studies report more success in goal achievement if you measure, track your goals, and plan the next day ahead of time.

4. Make a Designated Space For Your Goal or Place of Practice. Sometimes You Need an Environment Change To Help You Flourish.
5. Identify Just 1 Thing to Change Instead of An Overhaul.

What Do You Need to Stop Doing?

1. What is Getting In Your Way? What Bad Habits Are Stopping You From Reaching Your Goals?
2. Is Anything Wasting Your Time? Can it Be Limited or Eliminated or Delegated to Someone Else? Make Bad Habits Harder to Continue. This May Be Accomplished By Moving Something So it is Less Accessible or Something Out of Your Sight. Stopping is often the hardest part because it requires honesty.
3. Ask yourself: What is quietly draining me or pulling me away from who I want to become? Stop Staying Yes to Anything That is Unfullfiling, Draining, or is Pulling You Away From Your Goals. What are you tolerating in your daily life that is not what you would envision in your ideal life? What would be small steps to change this?
4. Examples: Discover what habits or patterns are keeping you stuck (e.g., perfectionism, comparing yourself to others, people-pleasing). Stop commitments that no longer align with your goals.

What Do You Need to Start Doing?

1. Determine the New Steps and Habits You Need to Accomplish Your Goal
2. Can Any of These Steps Become Daily Actions?
3. Show Up As the New Identity of Someone Who Already Accomplished the Goal. For Example: If You Want to Be a Writer, Write. If You Want to Be an Athlete, Eat, Dress, and Exercise Like an Athlete. Habits and Identity Are Created By Daily Consistency. Habits Use Less Energy Than Willpower.

What do you need to Continue doing?

What is working and going well? To discover what to continue, consider continuing what activities bring you the most joy, relaxation, or reduce stress.

What gives back to you for your effort?

Strategies to Try:

Practice “brain dumps” before working and at the end of the day in a journal. A brain dump is where you get out your thoughts.

You can set a time limit so this isn’t consuming. 5 minutes is enough for a “brain dump.”

Pomodoro Technique:

Set timer for 25 min to work/study

Take a 5 minute, small break every 25 minutes or I do 50 minutes of work with a 10 minute stretch break where I look at my plants.

Deliberate Practice & Measurement of Progress

Goals are reached with: deliberate practice where you know exactly what you are targeting.

What specific skill are you improving during that practice session?

Is it measurable? Can you see the progress?

If you would like more on this topic, check out: Stop Negative Thoughts: Use These Pattern Interrupts to Stop Overwhelm