Get back on track

You don't have to give up on a resolution after a setback

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is how to get back on track if
you've had a setback in the course of pursuing a
new goal. This episode is first airing in January, and

(00:25):
lots of people, particularly those who listen to productivity podcasts,
love to set New Year's resolutions. However, if you believe
the headlines, many people have fallen off the wagon of
their good intentions by the end of the month. In
studying how people spend their time, I've seen that these
setbacks usually stem from something out of the ordinary happening.

(00:48):
These disruptions can be good or bad. You've gotten into
a rhythm of going to a particular class at your gym,
but then your company announces that you're getting promoted. How exciting.
You get sent to Houston for a week for training.
You don't go to your regular exercise class during this time,
of course, but when you return home, well, you've got

(01:08):
a lot of new stuff on your plate to deal
with and it's back to old habits. Or maybe you
or someone in your family comes down with the flu.
The routine gets disrupted. You feel like you're just hanging
on trying to make up the work you've missed, and
so going to the gym falls to the bottom of
the to do list. Next thing you know, it's been

(01:29):
two weeks. The first thing is to recognize that some
setbacks can be avoided by setting resolutions more strategically. I
would never recommend setting a goal to go to a
particular exercise class at a particular gym three times a week.
There's always going to be some reason that can't happen consistently.

(01:51):
But instead, maybe you could decide that you're going to
exercise for at least twenty minutes three times a week.
If that means going to your favorite class that's offered Monday,
Wednesday and Friday evenings, well awesome. But if you're in
Houston for training, you can still get up forty five
minutes earlier than you would have and hit the hotel
treadmill and fulfill your intention. If you're caring for an

(02:14):
ill family member, you might still be able to do
some push ups and sit ups at your house, or
if you're the one who's sick, you might be able
to do a slow twenty minute walk after a few
days recuperating. By making the gold doable, even when life
goes wrong, you increase the chances that your intention goes right.

(02:36):
So if your original goal seems too specific and too demanding,
go ahead and change it. Yes, you can change a
resolution in late January. Going to the gym three times
a week is not a good in and of itself.
The point of the resolution is the health benefit, so
feel free to switch to whatever will give you that,

(02:58):
and then just do some things small until you feel
like scaling up again. Something is often better than nothing.
If you do find yourself having trouble getting remotivated, though,
there is one surprisingly effective thing you can do. Try
telling yourself that you haven't quit, You've just paused. We

(03:21):
pause all kinds of things in life. I'm guessing that
you get yourself up and get ready for work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
and Friday. You don't do this on Saturday and Sunday.
But then you get up and go again on Monday
without a huge existential crisis. You're two days off wasn't

(03:42):
a sign of failure. It was just a pause. Same
thing with any new habit. You didn't stop, you just
changed the rhythm for a bit. Now. After the change,
you go right back in and you may pause again
in the future. But that doesn't mean that you've stopped
for good. So if you've had a setback with your

(04:05):
New Year's resolutions, try changing the resolution or just acknowledging
your pause. You may just find yourself motivated to keep
going in the meantime. This is Laura. Thanks for listening,
and here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,

(04:29):
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod
that's B the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
podcast at i heeart media dot com that Before Breakfast

(04:51):
is spelled out with all the letters. Thanks so much,
I look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is
a production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from
I heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.