Planners get things done

PROBLEM-SOLVING: PUT A STEP-BY-STEP PLAN IN PLACE AND COMMIT

The most important part is its execution.

Ihave always reiterated the importance of setting goals. If you want to achieve something, whether it is weight loss, weight gain, muscle gain or even a healthier diet, plan, write down your goals and put in place the various steps to get your goal.

Let me give you an example. Earlier this year, I made a decision that I want to train for and take part in the Absa Cape Epic in March next year.

The Cape Epic is a multi-stage mountain bike race in the Western Cape.

The eight-day event spans 800km to 900km and is not one that you can tackle overnight.

It requires months of training and preparation.

As part of my goal setting, I acquired a specialist mountain biking coach to assist me with a Cape Epic-specific training programme.

Next, I had to ensure that I had the necessary equipment, which includes a bike, cycling equipment and cycling nutrition.

Then, the most important part of the execution was to set aside the time to train.

With my current goal, I am training six days a week.

To ensure I get through all my training sessions in a week, I diarise them.

Once they are in my diary, everything else gets booked around them.

I don’t prioritise training over everything else, I just treat it as a meeting in my diary.

With that, I have been successful so far with executing the plans set out in my initial goal-setting session and my training programme.

Goal-setting helps to align your focus on whatever you want to achieve.

It also helps you manage yourself and measure your improvement or success.

Another personal example I can share is from just over a year ago: I had two challenges at hand and needed a solution.

The first was a digestive challenge because I experienced regular constipation and digestive tract problems.

The second was a sudden increase in cellulite in my thighs. I assessed the steps I could take to help me deal with these challenges. I concluded that a change in diet was imperative. I then decided to explore a vegetarian diet for three months to see whether a change would occur.

I started following various vegetarian groups online for meal ideas.

Hard lockdown helped a great deal because I had all the time to try out all kinds of meals and found my favourites.

I can tell you now that 12 months later, I am still following a vegetarian diet, my digestive system thanks me on a daily basis and the cellulite around my thighs has diminished considerably.

So, simply put: when you have a challenge ahead of you, sit down and make plans on how to solve it.

There is a quote that says, “failing to plan is planning to fail”, so it’s best you put plans in place with goal-setting. Nothing beats a plan and a person who is determined to execute it.