Quick Tip: 2018 Goals Progress Report: Are You Still on Track?

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Don’t look now, but January is officially in the rearview and we are now into February.

That means that 2018 is officially 1/12th of the way over.

How are you doing with your 2018 goals, running or otherwise?

On track? Fallen by the wayside? Struggling but still holding on?

We Suck at Big Goals

Whether you want to call them New Year’s Resolutions or goals for the year or whatever, you know the statistics when it comes to setting a big goal and seeing in through to completion.

Yeah, that’s putting it mildly.

Point blank, we suck.

I think that part of the reason that we suck so bad when it comes to sticking to our goals and seeing them through to fruition is that we lose sight of the goal due to the day to day minutiae that gets in our way.

At the beginning of the year, we have these grandiose plans of races to run, miles to accumulate, and PRs to smash.

Perhaps we aim a little too big or try to do too many things at the same time.

Even if we are laser-focused on the goal or goals that we want to achieve, it’s easy to lose focus on the target and begin to drift. And because the finish line is so far away, we don’t notice that we are off course until it’s almost too late to course correct.

But if you check in regularly on your goals, say at the end of every month, you’ll be able to get a better feel for where you are, what is working, what isn’t working, and what you should do/not do going forward if you want to continue making progress toward your goals.

Check-In. Then What?

What did you learn from your time spent reviewing your goals?

If you’re on track and you have been successful so far, congratulations!

Keep doing what you’re doing because, clearly, it’s working!

But if you don’t like what you’re seeing, it’s time to rescue your 2018 goals.

Just because January wasn’t kind to you, doesn’t mean that you’re fucked and the next 11 months are just going to be a waste.

You have time to get back on track and still nail your goals for this year, but you can’t keep doing what you have been doing in January or your goals will be fucked.

Yeah, I guess I do.

4 Ways to Help You Get Your 2018 Goals Back on Track

Don’t worry! Even if the situation is looking grim, we can get you back on track and still give you plenty of opportunities to nail your running goals by the time the ball drops on 31 December.

But you can’t wait any longer. What you’ve been doing to this point clearly hasn’t been working, so it’s time to switch things up a bit.

Because continuing to do what you’ve been doing, that hasn’t worked, is likely to lead you farther and farther from your goals.

Take the Guesswork Out of the Equation

In a lot of cases, having some choices is a good thing. But on occasion, having too many choices actually makes it harder to move forward because you’re agonizing over the options at hand.

Case in point, one area that I’ve been struggling with for the past 6 months is with my strength training.

I knew I needed to do it, and I knew a dozen different exercises I could do on my strength training days to help me move forward.

But I rarely ever did my strength training. And if I did, it was half-assed at best.

Why? I never really knew what I was going to do for that day. I’d waffle about what exercises to do, and inevitably I’d just end up doing a couple of simple exercises and calling it a day.

My solution: I know write out my strength training routine at the beginning of each month. Every time that I’m supposed to do strength training, I have my list and I follow it.

No guesswork. No excuses.

I’m doing these exercises this month, and next month I’ll switch things up a bit.

Can you do something similar in an area where you’re struggling to stay on track with your goals?

Eliminate Your Obstacles

What is your biggest obstacle/hurdle/roadblock to getting your runs/workouts in on a regular basis?

One of the biggest barriers to consistency in training is life getting in the way.

Something comes up at work. The kids need help with their homework. Your spouse wants to “talk.”

Whatever it is, life has a way of getting in the way more often than we’d like.

One of the ways that you may find helpful as it comes to being more consistent with your training is to get up early and get your miles in before life has a way of interfering with your plans.

Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that you have to become a morning runner.

All I’m saying is that there are fewer email, social media, and/or work distractions at 4:30 am than there are at pretty much any other time of day.

If you struggle with getting out of bed, may I make a suggestion?

Get a Pavlok. (Affiliate Link)

This little device will literally shock you awake.

I’ve got one, and let me just tell you that it works. This is pretty much what it looks like when my alarm goes off in the morning now:

You think you’re going to stay asleep after you get zapped in the morning?

Think again!

Seriously though, this thing is awesome. If you struggle with getting up in the morning but would like to get your runs in early, this little device is well worth the price tag. I have the Shock Clock but am strongly considering an upgrade to help me work on some other habits besides hitting the snooze button a few too many times.

Change the Goals

There is nothing wrong with changing your goals.

Just because you decided that you were going to work towards X, Y, Z in January doesn’t mean you have to continue down that path for the rest of the year.

Situations change. Priorities change. Ambitions change.

Just because you set out on one path at the start of the year doesn’t mean that you’re obligated to continue down that path come hell or high water.

If the original goal just doesn’t do it for you anymore, switch paths and start working toward a new goal ASAP.

Get Some Help

If you’re not sure what is going wrong or what you can do to get back on/stay on track, maybe it’s time to get a little help.

One of my roles as a running coach is to help my clients stay on track with their goals.

I’ll hold them accountable. Check in with them. Give them a pep talk.

And when necessary, I’ll tell them to suck it up and get their workouts in!

Having a coach can really help you not only set the right goals, but also stay on track in the pursuit of your goals.

Keep Your Focus

If you’re serious about hitting your 2018 goals, you need to keep focused on them every day.

One thing I do is write out my goals in my planner every day.

That way I’m reminded, every single day, what I’m working towards in my business.

I also write in my goals for the quarter every day as well, so I always know what I need to do in the short to stay on track to be successful by the end of the year.

How often are you thinking about your goals? Daily? Weekly? Monthly?

The more often you think about your goals, the more you are going to keep moving in the direction of success. And every step that you take towards success becomes easier than the one prior. So by staying focused on the end goal, you make success more likely.

Every month or so, it’s a good idea to take an objective look at how things are going and make any necessary changes at that time.

But if you are focusing on your goals daily, even just for a few moments, you’ll find that when you do your your monthly progress checks that you will rarely need a major overhaul.

A subtle tweak here and there might be necessary, but that’s about it.

And that, my friends, is a good thing.

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2018 Goals Check: How Are You Doing? Let Me Know Below!

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