When I was a boy my father would carry me out of bed at 5:30am, drop me in the car, and start in on our 12 hour drive home from vacation in Massachusetts. I would wake up around 7:00 and voila! we were already in Connecticut! It made the trip feel much more manageable. I did the same on a couple drives from North Carolina to Florida for football bowl games during my college days. We started out with just a coffee at 5:30 and didn't stop for breakfast until 7:30 and bang! we already had 120 miles under our belt.
Paul Reiser, the other star of that 90's comedy, Mad About You, wrote a book called Parenthood. Being the funny guy he is, the book literally started on page 120. After cracking it open and reading just a few minutes, I was already on page 125! I have to admit, it felt good.
As we mercifully put 2020 in the rearview and hope for better things to come in 2021, we will set some goals, the inevitable New Year's Resolutions. Like that book and like my dad, we ought to do the same - give ourselves a head start.
Granted, it feels a like a gimmick, but it's a legitimate trick. You're still doing the work. You're just getting a head start. By starting early you're proving to yourself you want to work toward your goal not because of an arbitrary date on the calendar, but because you simply want it.
I have a goal to complete 5,000 exercise reps by January 31. So I started early even though it's like any other New Year's goal. I'm already approaching 1,000 so I'm well on my way. And if I get that head start, I'm more likely to finish the goal. Anyone ever started a goal only to give up on it because you couldn't get started?
Problem solved. Start early... go ahead and read one book, lose pound, or run one mile. Then set the goal and backdate the start of the goal.
I use the Runkeeper app to track the miles I run. It allows you to set mileage goals and it allows you to backdate. So I do this all the time. I'm already 5% of the way toward my goal when I set it up!
What's your New Year's goal? Is it measurable? If it is, then give yourself a head start!
Mark B. Anderson
Tutor & Founder, Strength in Numbers Tutoring
Paul Reiser, the other star of that 90's comedy, Mad About You, wrote a book called Parenthood. Being the funny guy he is, the book literally started on page 120. After cracking it open and reading just a few minutes, I was already on page 125! I have to admit, it felt good.
As we mercifully put 2020 in the rearview and hope for better things to come in 2021, we will set some goals, the inevitable New Year's Resolutions. Like that book and like my dad, we ought to do the same - give ourselves a head start.
Granted, it feels a like a gimmick, but it's a legitimate trick. You're still doing the work. You're just getting a head start. By starting early you're proving to yourself you want to work toward your goal not because of an arbitrary date on the calendar, but because you simply want it.
I have a goal to complete 5,000 exercise reps by January 31. So I started early even though it's like any other New Year's goal. I'm already approaching 1,000 so I'm well on my way. And if I get that head start, I'm more likely to finish the goal. Anyone ever started a goal only to give up on it because you couldn't get started?
Problem solved. Start early... go ahead and read one book, lose pound, or run one mile. Then set the goal and backdate the start of the goal.
I use the Runkeeper app to track the miles I run. It allows you to set mileage goals and it allows you to backdate. So I do this all the time. I'm already 5% of the way toward my goal when I set it up!
What's your New Year's goal? Is it measurable? If it is, then give yourself a head start!
Mark B. Anderson
Tutor & Founder, Strength in Numbers Tutoring
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