newsletter archives

Discipline of steel #6

The secret to sustainable daily efforts, how to turn off the voice in your head, and the power of gamification. Plus a bonus tip at the end!

Hey Warriors,

I wish you a merry Christmas if you celebrate, and a happy Monday if you don’t anyway!

Success is all about taking small steps repeatedly.

However, it’s not just about repetition, but frequent repetition aka consistency.

And some days are harder than others. In fact, today is one of those days for me. I have to work out but my mind is already set on the Christmas dinner…

Don’t worry about me yet. I know a few tricks to drag myself to the gym and train just as planned before I go and eat like there’s no tomorrow.

One of them is the power of gamification.

Point systems have been used for ages, whether they keep you engaged in an actual game, make you a more loyal customer, or a better student.

In recent years, it has become a very popular fitness tool too.

While I definitely encourage you to try and use apps, I am also a strong DIY advocate.

I like to optimize and customize everything, and I know for a fact that having your own points system is enough to keep yourself accountable.

In fact, I believe it is often more effective to work with a system you design for yourself.

Keep reading to find out how you can build your own points system.
One that is meaningful to you and whose purpose is to lead you to your own specific and personal goals.

Enjoy the reading and, exceptionally, you are allowed to “start tomorrow”.😉

1. The Way of small wins.

Small efforts that add up every day lead to big results. You know that.

But small efforts are sometimes very difficult to make on the daily.

So instead of looking at them as stepping stones, we tell ourselves they make no difference individually, and procrastinate.

Like leg day for example.

Leg day’s hard. And it becomes even more difficult not to skip it when you tell yourself a single workout won’t make a difference in the end.

This kind of thinking is dangerous.

First, here’s a fact to remember: if you skip one workout, you will skip 10 more.

Second, today is all you have.
You must live this day as if it is your last.
That doesn’t mean living as if nothing matters.
It means doing your job, and retiring with a feeling of accomplishment.

Try to end each day with a small win. Make it count.

This is how you should be looking at small, daily efforts.

It’s the only way to stay fully committed and reap the fruits of their compound effect.

PS: Don't skip leg day. 🥲

2.  Split yourself in 2.

I have a very schizophrenic way to deal with workout inconsistency.

Let me explain.

When we have great goals, we make great plans.

But when it’s time to act, it’s a different story.

We postpone, procrastinate, and find all sorts of excuses to do less than we originally decided.

It’s as if our plans had been made by a completely different person.

And it’s kind of true.

The “you” who bought a fitness program or a new treadmill was in a totally different mindset than the “you” who now needs to take action.

Guess who you should listen to.

Whenever I feel lazy to go and work out, the first thing I do is turn off that voice.

Then I refuse to think, feel, or decide. Not my job.

Instead, I just obey the command of my other self.
The one who made plans and decisions earlier, and who knows what’s best for me.

It’s like splitting my personality in 2.

Sure, that sounds weird but it works and I don’t skip workouts.

If you struggle with inconsistency, think about doing this the next time you feel like skipping a session.

3. Here’s how you can design your own points system to keep you on track:

Step 1: Identify your main goals.
Write a list of all the reasons why you need to work out. Keep only the 3 that are most important to you.

Step 2: Under each goal, write a list of all the actions you can take to get there.

Step 3: Rate every single action from 1 to 10, based on how important or effective they are.
These will be your points. Every time you complete one action, you earn the corresponding points.

Step 4: Set a realistic number of points you can reach in a perfect week.
That’s your iron badge. Multiply it by 5, that’s your bronze badge. Multiply it by 10 and you got a silver badge.

Step 5: Make sure you have a way to track your points before you start.
Don’t think you can do it in your head.
Your phone calendar works great for that: simply enter the number of points you earned on the day and time slot you completed the action. Write the total at the end of each day and each week.

Last words: Challenge yourself and don’t be afraid to set higher goals as you progress. And remember to make it personal, that’s the whole point of designing your own system!

Bonus Tip:

Here’s a simple way to hold yourself accountable on your fitness journey:

Tell people your goals.

That’s it. Told you it was simple.

But like a lot of simple things, it’s also one of the most effective.

While you’re at it, you can even share your workout schedule with everyone who cares or not.

Psychology says you are much more likely to stick to your plan if you make a public commitment.

That’s because it does 2 things:

1) Simply sharing it tricks your own mind into commitment.

2) It adds social pressure to the equation.

And a final tip: Tell people who are close enough to you to be brutally honest whenever you start slacking!

I’ll leave you now, as I’m on my way to try and earn my Discipline of Steel badge. 💪🏼