One of the things I CONSTANTLY nag my clients about is tracking. Whether it’s nutrition tracking via apps like MyFitnessPal or simply recording their thoughts, feelings and achievements for the day. It could be workouts or it could be using the weekly check in I bug every single one of my clients to get done on Sunday evening. Whatever it is we’re working on, each and every one of my clients needs to keep track of their progress. But why?
If you’ve ever listened to me speak, listened to the podcast or read any of my blog articles, you’ll likely know that I’m BIG on goalsetting. Not boring SMART goals either (although there are elements of this in my goalsetting strategies). But why?
Think about it. You’re orienteering in the middle of Dartmoor. You’ve got a map and compass, or perhaps even GPS systems because, like me, self-nav is not your strong point. You’re hiking a pretty long way. You have a destination. It’s cold. The destination has all the things you want; hot coffee, a warm campfire, loads of food and all the things you need to get back to. Of course, you want to enjoy the hike, but if you’ve planned a 5 mile hike, you don’t want to end up doing 10, 15, 20 miles. You also don’t want to end up at the wrong destination, because there ain’t going to be a welcome party for you there. So you regularly check in with your map. You make sure you’re on course. You might hit a bog or some ground that’s for some reason impassable and you check back with the map for an alternative route. You know your heading and you know how long you are prepared to be out for. If you didn’t check in with the map, how would you know you’re still moving in the right direction? You wouldn’t. You’d be leaving it to chance. The only way you’d know if you were on track is by some sheer dumb luck reaching your destination. You probably wouldn’t enjoy the journey so much either if you went without a map – you aren’t going to be taking in the scenery and stopping for a cuppa when you know you could be stuck on the moors for nightfall…
Self improvement is just the same. We all know that at times, it feels somewhat harsher than being thrust out onto Dartmoor in the middle of winter and it often takes just as much gumption and determination to reach the destination. But the “journey” for want of a better and less cliched word, can still be breathtaking, enjoyable, amazing. It can shape you as a person. It can have hiccups along the way that force us to come up with a plan B, but that also forces us to re-evaluate our priorities and values and help us get to know ourselves properly. But that journey is a lot better when we have a map to keep us honest. When we have a defined destination, with a defined route, we can relax and enjoy the process of getting there IF we keep checking in with our map. The map is our reflection, tracking, accountability.
So whether it’s nutrition, exercise or simply our own wellbeing and feelings we need to track, when we create a plan, we must check in the map. THAT, is tracking. For my clients, there’s some fundamental and universal truths to tracking that I ask them about in my Sunday night surveys:
- Overall picture. Whatever the specific goal, it’s important to consider what outside factors might have pushed you off course. Regularly evaluating your general life – stress, family, work, those holistic things – will help you to see patterns that might be hampering your progress and allow you to make changes to stop this happening so frequently.
- How many days did you achieve what you wanted? Being able to put a number or percentage on the week’s progress is helpful when we factor in the other more holistic factors, because it gives us numbers we can compare. Everyone understands a percentage and it’s something we can compare. 7 days in a week, with my goalsetting strategies, you should have a goal for each one. How many days did you actually achieve those?
- Did you record your metrics? Usually when people are about to take the easy route, it takes them dramatically off course and away from their destination. It’s also at this point that people start to ignore the map and say “if I don’t check in with the map, I won’t have to acknowledge how far away I am from that campfire…”. Recording metrics (this could be weight, waist measurements, stress scores, protein intake, calorie intake etc) is essential to achieving success. It keeps you honest with yourSELF.
So when you’re thinking about your progress, don’t go without a map. And when you have one, keep checking in with it. Trust it. Follow it and enjoy the hike!
And if you’re not sure where to start, jump in to the Super Human Scorecard now and see what it is that’s blocking your path right now and what could bring you a little closer to that destination when you get my free personalised top tips for success – individual action steps just for you, which you can use right away! https://stevie-ftub30pe.scoreapp.com