Goals are generally too big to work on all at once. But they can be broken down into smaller, more doable steps called action plans. You can post your action plan where it will remind you of your goals and motivate you to continue.
To work best for you, action plans should be:
Specific. Not, “I will listen more,” but “I will listen to my partner for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, without interrupting” (or whatever is appropriate).
Realistic. Not “I will run five miles,” if you haven’t exercised for years, but “I will walk around the block after dinner, four days a week, with my dog.” Start slow and build up.
About behavior, not results. Not “I will lose weight.” That’s a goal. An action plan might be, “I will limit ice cream consumption to one cone, twice a week.”
You should be very confident about your action plans. Ask yourself how confident you are on a scale of 1 – 10, where 10 means you are sure you can do it. Your confidence should be at least 7. If it’s lower, brainstorm with someone (family, friends, healthcare providers), how you can raise your confidence. This might involve problem-solving barriers or making the plan easier.
Action plans usually have a time frame of one week. Keep track of how you do with yours. Then repeat the plan, build on it, or do something new to help you reach your goals.
Meg’s Story
Meg was 53 years old, weighed 300 pounds, and had type 2 diabetes. She wanted to exercise, but thought she couldn’t. “I know I need to walk three miles a day,” she told Linda, the medical assistant at the clinic, “and there’s no way. I haven’t been out of the house except to go to the doctor’s for six months. How am I going to walk three miles?”
“Well,” said Linda. “How far could you walk?”
Meg thought about it and finally said, “I guess I could walk to the mailbox, down by the curb. Then I’d have to rest for a minute and walk back to the house.”
“What’s your confidence level of being able to do that regularly?”
“Pretty high. I can do that. I’d say a 9.”
“How often will you do that, then,” asked Linda?
“I can do it every day,” said Meg.
“If it’s OK with you, let’s start by planning for five days a week, in case of bad weather or something,” suggested Linda. “You want to be sure you can succeed.” Meg agreed.
As it turned out, Meg could do it every day, so for two weeks she did. Then she called up and said, “I’m ready to go further. I’m going to walk to the corner.” And she did that, and over the course of a year, she built up to 3 miles a day. She lost some weight, and her sugars are better controlled. She’s still working on it, one plan at a time.
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