Falling Down redux

Okay, so this is the first blog after “publicizing” my goals and what do I have to report?  Uh, I guess it’s a kind of good news/bad news thing.  I like to get the bad news first, so here it is:  I only wrote half a page of script last week.  Half a page?!?

I thought I would be able to jump right back to the level I was at (i.e. a page a day), but I think I need to step more slowly into this goal.  So instead of going right to a page a day, I will start with half a page a day.  So, for this week’s total, I should have three and a half pages.  It’s better to start small and consistently, so I can build momentum rather than just start with the main goal.  (And not get there at all.)

Next week, I will write three quarters of a page a day (five and a quarter pages for the week).  And the following week, I will be at my target of one page a day or seven pages a week.

I am a little disappointed, but I really should have started easily in the first place.  Although, I know that I can do the page a day, I wasn’t there, so I should have built to it.  The bright spot is that I wrote a half page.  Yay for me.  It was the most writing I had done in a month, so it was definitely an improvement.

Another important aspect of this is trying to get it done as soon as possible.  So, today, I’ve already done my quota.  Yay!

Did you see that?  I just used two of the components of setting goals.  Looking for bright spots and relying on planning not willpower.  So, here’s the plan: I will do my writing either before I leave the house or on the train into work.  That way, I will have met my most important writing goal for the day and focus on other things.

So, what was the good news?

I lost a pound.  I now weigh 216lbs.  I also lost 2cm off my waist and was able to fit into a pair of jeans that my wife bought me for Christmas.  I could barely get them on at Christmas and I couldn’t button them up!  It’s a great feeling to be able to wear them now.

I’m also at more than 25% of my goal weight.  On that front, I am way ahead of schedule.  The key to my success (so far) is that there has been more planning involved than my writing goals.  I have been following the “Slow Carb Diet” as outlined in Timothy Ferris’ book The Four Hour Body.   I plan to follow it for a month and then assess how it’s going.

It certainly seems more sustainable than some other diets I’ve tried.  I really liked The Zone diet, but I found it tricky to follow.  The Slow Carb is much less complicated.  And you get a “cheat day” every week!  Ah, glorious cheat day...

Anyway, I’m starting this week very happy with my weight goals and optimistic about my writing goals.  I also think the success of one goal helps feed the commitment to the other goal. 

How are you doing in your goals?