07 Jun how to procrastinate on your goals – avoid weekly goals

weigh in wednesday series: post #1

This week I pigged out like a pro. BUT, I also gained insight on unexpected way to outsmart my procrastinating tendencies, setting weekly goals. Despite my best efforts, I am a master procrastinator, which I loathe. It’s caused and still results in unnecessary stress. So, I keep trying to change my ways…and seemed to have accidentally found something that helps.

two pounds gained…there has to be a better way

I see different types of procrastination in my life. There’s the kind with deadlines for things that I don’t like doing, like taxes, taking cars to get serviced, loading the dishwasher, etc. Then there’s goal procrastination. The avoidance of working on my site, gaining weight when wanting to lose it – to the tune of two pounds, etc. These are things I claim to want to succeed at. Why the fuck do I avoid doing them?

That answer seems to lie in the fabric of the cosmos, but there is one small, seemingly insignificant thing that lit a flicker of hope….setting weekly goals.

an unexpected win: setting weekly goals for the month

At the end of last month, I tested out an editorial calendar plug-in to schedule this month’s posts. I’d never done it before. I can’t say I fully intended to follow through with each of the draft post ideas I’d brainstormed either.

I just wrote things down to post each week that seemed good considering the time of year and my audience. Somehow that simple act planted a seed in my brain that sprouted motivation to accomplish those weekly goals.

Yet as my first scheduled post date arrived, I ended up publishing it. It was my declaration of my lose 40 pounds by 40 affair. I didn’t think much about the follow through, and was weeks later from my original goal start date.

Then yesterday I ended up feeling compelled to bang out my planned post about graduation parties. Mind you, I didn’t finish it until 11:30 at night, but it got done.

Now I write this one. Though it seems I’ll need to backdate the post date. However it will be written by my scheduled date. So I consider that a win.

Master Magician and Old Soul – David Blaine

I watched David Blaine (so wise and motivated…very attractive) last night on Tim Ferris’s new show fear(less). David described how when he’s trying to complete a stunt he breaks up each of the milestones into smaller more achievable ones.

By writing down my weekly goal in terms of planned posts, it triggered a sense of do-ability and manufactured desire to succeed. I think the same method will totally translate to my weight loss goal.

I had avoided setting weekly goals for my weight to avoid feeling frustrated if/when I fail. Though, having such a big window of time with no set expectation of small weekly goals to reach for seems to create a sense of urgency to take action today.

So that’s it. Tomorrow I will weigh myself and set a weekly weight goal so I can stay focused and motivated. I’m going to set it for higher than it needs to be to give myself a little before for any slips. So it’ll be two pounds a week weight loss goal…the amount I managed to gain between when I said I was going to start this weight loss and now.

I can’t say this will work for sure, but I think this might be the secret sauce. If all goes well I’ll be back to my starting weight next week and keep going from there.

Interested in the origin story of this post?

Comments