A surefire way to help you keep your motivation high and to continue your efforts to reach your goal, is to see results. Depending on your goal this could be; the number on the scale decreasing, the increase in kilometres covered during training, the jeans you now fit into, the yoga pose you managed to hold, squat cleaning your body weight… results mean success.

Sometimes these results take a lot longer than expected and over time your motivation can start to fade or you find yourself falling back into old habits and feeling like you’ve failed. This happens when focus is only on the outcome and not the process it takes to get there. The greatest way to see more results and at a quicker pace (and to keep motivation high), is to keep track of your progress and the quality of your efforts.

“Recognising the quality of your actions during the process of reaching your goal is essential for continuous progress and success.”

You’ve heard of the quality over quantity approach, this rings true in so much of what we do though it can be a lot more challenging to action. Below are 3 ways to support your focus on quality over quantity and are a surefire way to start seeing more results for your actions.

1. Create a success-criteria for your goals.

Use this to help you recognise your successes.

Example goal: To increase my energy levels.  

Success Criteria

1. I wake up 2 hours before I start my work day
2. I eat green vegetables on a daily basis
3. I only drink 1 coffee a day

By focusing on the criteria for you to be successful you are able to track the quality of your efforts towards achieving the final outcome.

A simple way to track your progress would be to ask yourself daily questions and score your efforts 0-5. You will clearly see by the end of the week how much effort you put into achieving your goal.

2. Set yourself a progress tier or 3 level goal system

Use data to create your progression levels; level 1, level 2 and level 3. This could be your body fat%, weight, speed for running, weight lifting, number of words written…

If your goal is sports related why not use Bronze, Silver and Gold, suggested by Jim Afremow, The Champions Mind.

Example goal: to run a 10k

Bronze: 56-60 minutes

Silver: 56-50 minutes

Gold: sub. 50 minutes

You can then track your effort during your training – did you perform at bronze, silver or gold level? Over the course of a month you will be able to clearly relate your effort level to progress made.

3. Accountability

Having an accountability partner will help you identify the barriers holding you back from making progress. Your accountability partner will be able to question your excuses, behaviours, motivation and problems. This not only helps develop self-awareness, it supports you in creating solutions to your barriers and gives the opportunity to check-in and self-evaluate.

Going on your ‘feelings’ will only get you so far. The most impactful progress takes time, effort and a lot of hard-work. Without having the facts or data it is easy to lose track of how far you have come. Through each stage of progression your expectations get higher, therefore what used to motivate you before (at the beginning of your training/diet/health journey) will not keep you motivated anymore, as you reach mini-milestones you raise the bar, by recognising and celebrating the process of reaching a milestone you are much more likely maintain motivation and go on to achieving your goal.

A health coach supports you in identifying and overcoming the obstacles that are holding you back to living your healthiest and happiest lifestyle. If you would like to know more about the health coaching program or are in need of an accountability partner, get in touch by emailing heidi@heidijonescoaching.com

Register to my new class Climb Your Mountain.

An interactive, motivating and goals driven class where you will learn how to create actionable steps needed to turn your goal into a life changing experience.

To register your interest, email heidi@heidijonescoaching.com