New Year New You - Time Blocking and Motivation
Hey hey, Fringe Fam!! How's it going? Let us know how you are and how your New Year's resolutions are going below. We want to hear about your goals and your progress!
We know just how hard it can be to make goals for yourself and see them through, especially when the going gets tough. Starting a New Year's resolution right as the new year hits can be fun and motivating, especially since we would assume that a lot of you have time off at the start of the year and can put more focus into making moves to reach your goals.
But, what about when you go back to work? We're sure a lot of you have by now, and if you haven't you're getting close to your break being over. The going gets A LOT more tough when you throw a job, kids, relationships, friends, and FOMO into the mix, but we have some tips and tricks to keep you motivated through the times when things get hard.
Time Blocking & Time Management
First of all, we have to talk about time management. Across the board, time can be one of the most difficult things to manage in our lives, and it's understandable. We're trying to make the most of our lives, work, include friends and relationships, take care of others & kids, and take time for ourselves while we're at it. Are there enough hours in the day?
YES.
It's tough, but to make sure that you're taking the best care of YOU, I've found that scheduling in your you-time to your calendar reaps higher chances of you actually doing a workout or taking time out of the day for yourself instead of keeping it silent or verbally expressing your interest in doing so.
We're trying to outlast Quitter's Day this year, okay? Make time for yourself so you can keep your sanity at the start of this year & reach your goals, no matter how lofty they are. Your time management could look like blocks, our personal favorite over here at Fringe.
Time blocking is important. You set your calendar, whether online or on paper, to block off the time for you, and it's non-negotiable. Untouchable. DON'T TOUCH IT. Unless it's to add in a workout or meal prep or whatever you need to do to be able to set yourself up for success. You can do it!
Another helpful tip in terms of time blocking and calendaring is to find the time of day that works best for you to complete your tasks that are going to put you one step forward in crushing your resolutions. Whether you're an early bird, a luncher, or a night owl in your workouts, make sure you're taking YOUR time seriously, blocking it off, and don't let anyone mess with that time. It's YOURS!
Make yourself and your resolutions a priority and we promise you won't be stopped.
Setting Attainable Goals
Goal setting is HARD. We know it. It's easy to set a goal that's super lofty and try toward it for a while, but get discouraged because the results don't come fast enough or the goal still feels too far away. Sound familiar? We have a solution for you to try.
It's important to set your goals in 3 different increments. Short term, mid-term, and long-term. These are not tests, they're time periods for which your goals should fit.
For example, in the short term, you could set a goal of waking up 30 minutes earlier to spend more time for yourself. That's totally doable in the short term, within a week, two, three or a month, and can carry over to the mid-term and long-term as well if you stick with it.
A mid-term goal might look like losing 10 pounds in 3 months. While it might feel like a long term goal, 3 months is just a quarter of an entire year. We'd consider this a mid-term goal because it's not so easily attainable as waking up earlier, but it's also not so unattainable that the timeframe needs to be pushed into the long-term.
A long-term goal could look like a 400lb deadlift when you're starting at a 200lb one rep max. A 200lb increase in a lift is no easy feat, and it's going to take some work. This would be a great long-term goal because of that. Shoot for something like a year, if it's a serious goal.
You could also look at short, mid, and long-term goals as increments of reaching one single goal. Take your goal of a 400lb deadlift with a starting 200lb max. You could set a short term goal to work on your deadlift and accessories for a stronger posterior chain and core 3x per week. In the mid-term, which could be anywhere from 3-6 months or so, you could shoot for a 100lb increase in 6 months, which would be the halfway point in your timeframe and your weight increase. Then, you work the rest of the 6 months out of the year to reach that goal.
Remember, these goals/weights/time increments are so variable from person to person. Strength is relative, goals are relative, everything is relative to YOU and you only, so it's important to keep your eyes on your own WOD log/weight loss/strength gains when you're reaching for these things.
YOU are your only competition.
A Simpler Route
Goals: reaching them, setting them, completing them is not an easy thing to do. It requires patience, effort everyday, and will power to see them through. An easier, potentially less overwhelming way to look at setting goals and retaining motivation is to consider this: Get 1% better everyday.
A lot of times, we bite more off of our goals than we can chew in the time we've allotted for ourselves. We like to think of each day like this, instead of putting immense pressure that culminates, blows up in our face, and results in goals dumped to the side of the road next to your trash bin.
Even if you don't complete ALL of the tasks you take on to help you reach your goal everyday, if the effort is there, and something is done to help you progress in the gym, in your nutrition, as a human, you've won the day.
Make It Fun
A great way to spice things up and generate some more motivation is with some new gear. Whether that's workout apparel, a new water bottle, or garage gym gear, a new thing to add into your normal routine can make things so much more motivating and fun.
On another note - when you're not feeling it, don't force yourself to use the equipment or do the movements you loathe. If you're really having a tough time getting through your workouts to reach your goals, choose the things that feel best and use the equipment you love. It can be so satisfying to push through the things you dread and get them done, though, so don't leave that out as an option.
Check out what we recommend throwing into your usual mix to inspire you to get after it and reach your goals below:
A pump cover, a warm-up hoodie, a perfect way to rep your favorite garage gym equipment company ;)
A loadable dumbbell single or pair allows you to choose your weight, choose your challenge, and reach your gains goals:
Fringe Sport Tropical Weightlifting Belt (so you can feel like you're on vacation while you lift)
Leave a comment