Why Setting a Future “Start Date” for Your Goals is a Dumb Thing – and 6 Things to Do Instead

Have you ever set a goal or planned some kind of “life change,” and then looked at the calendar and decided that instead of starting right away, you would be much better off starting on a day that was a few weeks away? I have, and let me tell you, this may be a bad, bad idea.

Today is the first of November, and it’s going to be a big month (you might say I am planning on doing something great this month…). In addition to lots of creative and professional goals, both my girlfriend and I decided that we would spend November eating very clean and healthy. You know what that means: lots of veggies and lean protein, no processed foods, no junk foods, nothing deep fried. (Good God what am I getting myself into?!)

As November begins, I realize this is going to be harder for me than her for two reasons:

1. She’s been eating pretty well already.
2. I have been eating horribly. Really, for about a month – just…horribly

Why have I been eating so poorly for about a month now, you might wonder? Well, there’s a simple, if sad, reason for that…

We made this decision about a month ago. Since then, anytime I’ve had the idea in my head to make a healthy eating choice, a little voice has popped up and said, “November is when you’re going to be healthy, so enjoy yourself now.”

I have even finished up an unhealthy meal (usually consisting of something deep fried, something processed, something fatty, and something grossly oversized – often all in the same item) and said, “Man, I can’t wait for November 1^st.”

Yes, I would eat unhealthy, and then consider looking forward to November so I could finally eat healthy.

What can I say? I’m a ridiculous human being…

However, I would guess I am not alone in this. This specific story may be a bit extreme, but I am sure there are many people (yourself included, perhaps…?) who set a time and date to start something, but then spend all the lead-up time to that date not only not doing anything, but actually acting far worse than they would have otherwise.

This doesn’t have to be just about fitness. It could be anything:

• I’ll stop smoking on Monday (so let me smoke extra now!)
• I’ll start writing next Friday (so let me not write anything or even think about my book now)
• I’ll clean my house this weekend (so let me be even more lazy than usual about picking up after myself now)
• I’ll stop using my credit cards and start paying down my debt on the first (so let me buy just a few more final things now)
• I’ll start saving for retirement next year (don’t even get me started on this one…)

Picking a goal is super. Having a starting date is good. Using the fact that you have a starting date to be far worse than you would otherwise is stupid and counterproductive.

Have you ever met someone who actually likes to gain weight the week before they start a new diet and exercise plan? This allows them to have a higher starting number with weight that will come off quickly so they’ll feel like they’re making progress right away. I know someone like that. And he looks eerily like myself…

If you are in the process of setting a goal for yourself, here are six pieces of advice to help you avoid making the same mistakes I did:

1) Move the Start Date Closer

I understand that some plans are inconvenient to start right now (more on this in a moment), but does your starting date need to be so far away? The more lead time you leave, the more interruptions that can occur, and the more temptation you will face to “live it up for a while”. I suggest you seriously reexamine your reasons for delaying. Chances are you really can move the start date a lot closer. Which brings us to our next point…

2) Start Now

Yup, I suggest you don’t wait at all. Start today. Or tomorrow morning at the latest. Usually when you hold off on starting on a path it’s not because you have to delay, it’s because you want to delay. Setting a future start date is just a form of procrastination. If you are delaying starting right now, then chances are you are not 100% committed to the task, which means you’re setting yourself up for failure anyway (if that’s the case, you may need to shrink the goal, which we’ll get to in a moment) . Rather than delaying, start right away. If you find yourself resisting, work on your commitment level first.

3) Let Go for the Need for Significant Dates

There’s no law that says you have to start on New Years Day, your birthday, the first of the month, or on a Monday. It is perfectly acceptable to start working on a new goal on a random Wednesday in October. Waiting for a significant date is another form of procrastination, and is usually just a way to give yourself permission to avoid doing what you know you should be doing and to indulge in bad behavior for a while. Read the “Start Now” point again and…um…start now.

4) Consider Ramping Up Instead of “Starting”

Let’s say for whatever reason you can’t go “whole hog” for a couple of weeks. Maybe there’s a legitimate logistical reason or maybe you just can’t quite commit. Whatever the case, instead of doing nothing at all for the next two weeks, use it as a “ramp up” stage. So if you’re plan is to eat healthy and exercise regularly, starting in two weeks, then set a smaller goal like, “Eat 1 piece of fruit a day,” for right now. Use the time between now and your “start date” to make a little progress and get yourself in the mindset for change.

5) Understand and Maintain Your Status Quo

Even if you don’t “ramp up,” you’re still better off not going crazy before you star your goal. One bad meal the night before you start eating healthy? Not a big deal. Three weeks of eating crap before you start eating healthy? That’s a problem (trust me, I know of what I speak…). If you’re going to wait to start (despite what I said above), then do your best to maintain your status quo. This of course means you have to first understand what the status quo is. Take stock of what “typical” is for you and then commit to at least maintaining that. It’s not great, but at least you’re not getting worse.

6) Shrink the Goal

One reason you may be considering a future “start date” is because you have set a giant goal for yourself. When the task is too big, your mind gets overwhelmed and procrastination (and out-and-out rebellion) begin. Rather than setting a giant goal that you plan on embarking on a month from now (when you’re “ready”), just set yourself a smaller goal that you’re willing to start on right away. Making some progress is better than making none – or regressing.

Wish me luck this month – it’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be fun! And if you’d like to join in and do something great for yourself too, you can – just check out this post.

And remember, when that little voice pops up and gives you great reasons why you should pick a date in the future to “start” working on your goals, tell it to shut up and just get started now…

P.S. Hey, if you like this post, why don’t you share the love and click the Facebook “Like” button at the top of this page…?

***
Do you want help making better long term decisions? How about help figuring out what exactly it is that you want? Or maybe you know, but your problem is that you don’t know how to put together a plan to get you there?  Or perhaps you have a plan, but never feel motivated to follow it? Or you jyst get easily derailed when things go wrong? If so, than the Smart Ass Success! Learn the 7 Steps to Getting What You Really Want – Even If You Have No Idea What That Is! FREE E-Book is for you! It addresses those questions (and more) to help you get on the path towards figuring out what you really want – and then getting it! Don’t let another year pass you by. Click here to download your free copy now!

About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

• Mail
|
• More Posts (483)