6 Things You Simply Must Do To Be In Great Shape

I’ve been a little misleading with the title of this post. It’s really about doing 6 things to achieve your most important goal(s). But we’ll use being in great shape as an example. Now I can’t remember where I stole this idea from, but I recently read a post whereby the author gave a great suggestion. I made a note to myself to link back to it, and then lost the link – apologies, mystery blogger.

The suggestion was that you write down 6 things you simply must do every day that lead you to your goal/s. You should carry this success list with you and look at it throughout the day until it’s completed.

I’ve been doing my own version of this for some time, which is to write down the things I must do on my ICal each day. And not just the ‘tasks’ but the analysis and review of my progression. For example, at the end of each day I have a note to record what I did that day to make money, and what I did to bring in new business. This idea came from Freelance Switch, one of my favorite motivational and educational tools.

I think where my approach is less effective than the ‘6 things’ approach, is that I don’t cap myself on how many points I must tick off the list. For example, here’s a list of the 24 items I had on my ‘must-do’ list today

Oh. My. God.

Until I wrote this list (and then made the eye-opening decision of numbering instead of bullet pointing it), I seriously did not realize how much I’ve been expecting of myself. Sure, my calendar always looks full. But 24 items!! No wonder I have trouble falling asleep and often berate myself for getting nothing done.

I guess that’s where having a list of 6 could be more effective for a number of reasons –

• There’s a higher likelihood I’d get them all done
• This would mean I’d feel really good about myself (love crossing things off lists, in fact have even been known to write things on list after they’re done so that I could then enjoy the satisfaction of crossing them off!)
• I’d be forced to prioritise
• This could make me more productive  – by focusing on the most important goals, I’d constantly move forward with my business and my life, and I’m sure the little things would eventually take care of themselves.

Well that’s my theory, anyway ..

Let’s put it to the test. Out of my list of 24 –

6 Things I Simply Must Do Today

1. Write, edit and post an article for BodyIncredible.com
2. Workout
3. Meet with my apprentices for our weekly team meet
4. Follow up on Isagenix Associates
5. Client contracts for apprentices to be reviewed
6. Work on my upcoming article series for staying in shape over Christmas

Why These Things Matter The Most

Because they fit in with my top three goals:

• Stay in great shape and feel good about myself
• Build a strong online presence as a blogger and increase readership each week
• Increase my passive income(s) so that I can spend more time on goal 2

Although all the other points on my list are important, they’re not as directly relevant to my long-term success. The scary thing is, I know from previous experience that without writing my short-list, I’d have started with the items that were easiest to complete. I definitely would have done my workout (deeply ingrained habit), and I would have had the apprentice meeting, as it was an appointment, but the other 4 points would probably have been pushed into the next day.

Can you imagine what you’d achieve in a week, a month, a year, by creating a goal-orientated list of 6 each day, and then sticking to it? I think there’s some powerful potential there. I plan to put this habit into more regular practice with my writing. You might have a personal or business goal that you’d like to achieve – why not put your own list of 6 together right now. Let’s use being in great shape as an example. When you create your list the points can be as simple as ‘workout’ or ‘prepare own lunch’, or they could be more detailed and specific to your own strengths and weaknesses.

Here are some ideas for things you simply must do to stay in great shape:

• Workout for at least 30 minutes (and SWEAT!)
• Drink more water
• Prepare own food
• Limit starchy/sugary carbohydrates
• Get more sleep
• Try a new style of exercise
• Insist on leaving work on time
• One less coffee
• Replace your afternoon treat for an afternoon health snack
• Write a weekly exercise and/or eating plan
• Book an appointment with an exercise and/or nutrition specialist
• Read/watch something inspiring
• Go for a walk before breakfast/after dinner

That should get you started!

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