In my last blog, I talked about goal setting. Now that you have clear goals, the next step is accountability and documentation.

HOW TO START

Planning/Diagramming

“Fail to Plan or Plan to Fail.”

This sums up to me the importance of documentation…

Step One: Use a system that works for you. The outcome is a record of your accomplishments so that you can see progress and what your challenges are. You need to use a system that you can easily maintain on a daily or weekly basis.

At the beginning of my fitness journey, documenting my workouts was part of the compliance that my trainer wanted to see. He wanted to see and confirm that I had worked out the prescribed amount of time per day. It was also important for him to see my progress in learning different stretches.

Some methods of documentation are:

1. A spreadsheet—easy to copy and fill in the blanks
2. A word document—also easy to use and fill in your information
3. An app on your phone or computer—quick and easy
4. A whiteboard in your kitchen or home office—provides a visible reminder

Download Speadsheet here

Example of a documentation spreadsheet from 2008

Step Two: Document your goals in your documentation system.

For example, I will stretch each day and do 60 minutes of aerobics in 3 sessions per week.

Step Three: Set aside time each day for documentation. I set an alarm each day for 6:45pm and document my day in a spreadsheet. It also becomes a good habit, and I don’t get behind and forget what I have or have not completed.

Step Four: Review your documentation each week and use the results to change and modify your goals. Here are some examples:

If you find that you are meeting your goals at 100 % perhaps it is time to increase them.

If you plan to ride your bike on a certain day, but it doesn’t get done, then perhaps the day of the week needs to be changed.

If you are struggling every week with compliance, that is a sign that you may need help from your formal support team. Maybe you need to set up some sessions with your health and wellness coach or your fitness trainer.

In summary, documentation has several, important benefits:

• You can see your progress.
• You can share accomplishments with your informal support team.
• You can identify what needs improvement.
• You can seek help based on evidence. 

Let me know how you are using documentation to gain clarity, daily accountability and steady results. I would enjoy hearing about your challenges and successes. Feel free to reach out to me at noquickfixes18@gmail.com.