When I was prepping for a bodybuilding show in 2020, as part of my weekly check-in, my coach had a list of daily habits I needed to do in order to get me ready for my show. Some of these habits included things like following my meal plan, drinking my water, getting enough sleep, and getting in my steps. Each time I completed one of my daily habits, I would check the box to say it was completed. Then by the time my check-in came around, she would see how many of my habits I completed and how many I had not completed. What I loved about this system was it reminded me what I needed to do each day, it held me accountable to complete each task (because I DID NOT like it when something was not checked off), and it promoted consistency.
Even though I stopped competing last summer, I continued to use this same sort of system (with a few modifications) because I found it so helpful! Since I found it so helpful, I wanted to share with you how I am currently utilizing it. That way you could use it as a tool to help you achieve your goals. I will explain my system, but remember to tweak it to fit what is going to be the most useful for you.
Here is how my daily intention system works:
- I establish what my current goal/s are.
- After I have established my goal/s I make a list of all the tasks I can do which will help me to reach my goal/s. When making my task list, I make the task as specific as possible. For example, if I am wanting to drink water, instead of saying “drink water” I will say “drink 1 gallon of water”.
- From that list, I pick what I consider to be the top five to ten tasks which I feel will get me closest to my goal. I do not pick more than ten because too many tasks can feel overwhelming to do each day.
- Once I have my list of tasks, I make a chart in my journal. On the vertical side of the chart I put my tasks and then horizontally, at the top of the chart, I put the days of the week.
- Each day I complete one of my tasks, I make a check mark to indicate it has been completed. If I do not complete the task, then I leave it blank.
- At the end of the week, I take some time to evaluate how I did with each task by counting the number of days I completed the task.
- If I did not complete the task six or seven days out of the week, then I ask myself these questions:
- Does this task need to be modified? For example if I said I would drink a gallon of water, then maybe a gallon was too much to start with and I need to lower it so I can reach my goal.
- What factors got in the way of me completing the task?
- Do I need to focus on a different task for a little bit?
- What can I do differently this week to complete this task each day?
- I typically keep my same tasks each week until either I can consistently complete the task easily without thinking about it or there are other tasks that have taken priority or I feel that task is no longer needed.
As I was writing out my system for this blog, I did not realize how many steps this entails! So I will say this process does take some initial time upfront, but I feel it is worth the time if there is a specific goal or habit you are wanting to establish.
If you have any specific questions about my system or would like an accountability partner, let me know. I’d love to help!