A Simple Hack to Achieving Your Goals: Try "Twice a Week."

It came as a bit of a revelation in the middle of 2019. I was in a bit of a slump in several areas of my life. As a parent to two young kids, even with tremendous amounts of support, I was feeling stretched thin, generally out of patience, and unable to get the wheels back on. Everything felt harder than it should be. And as an annoying optimist-type, I was feeling really off-course.

It was time to make some changes.

So I took stock of the things that helped me to feel more like myself, more like I had my sh*t together. That list, pictured below, included things like writing in my journal, going for a run, flossing (confidential to my dental hygienist: I know, I KNOW I should be doing it every day, but twice/week is better than not at all, right?), bringing my lunch with me to work instead of getting take-out, stretching or going to yoga. Nothing earth-shattering, just little things that help me feel like I’m taking care of myself.

The things that help me feel more like myself.

Individually, none of these things were hard to get done, but attempting to do them all every day was way too much to try and put on my plate (but oh, I’ve tried. Believe me I’ve tried.)

So I asked myself: what if you just try to do each of those things twice a week?

It was a total game-changer.

“Twice a week” became my motto for the remainder of the year, and is officially claiming a top-spot in my goal-setting hacks list. Because twice a week is doable. Doable is what I need. Doable mades a difference.

And there was an added bonus: I found that sticking to twice/week for any of my little things usually meant I did them more than twice. Lowering the goal mark meant that I was more likely to go past my goal than get to it and stop. (Sound familiar? We had been talking about Jon Acuff’s book “Finish” in Cotivation.)

Cotivation at Office Nomads, 2019.

What would it look like if you took a “twice a week” approach? For many of us the start of the year tends to be when we over-promise to ourselves when it comes to goals and healthy habits. We make resolutions to exercise seven days a week. To never eat sugar ever again. To add a new client every day.

Instead of biting off way more than you can chew, what if you set your sights on the small and achievable?

I’m willing to bet you’d be happily surprised by the results.

And if you really want to ensure you get started on the right foot, a little bit of friendly accountability is sure to do the trick. The members of Office Nomads have supported each other in our goals and aspirations for over a decade now. By becoming a member today, you’ll have the chance to meet a friendly group of people, many of whom who are also hard at work on work- and self-improvement. We’d be so glad to welcome you into the fold.