All triathletes, whether we are age groupers or professional triathletes, have habits that support our training and race goals.
Habits are the small actions that we perform every day. What we repeatedly do, ultimately shapes our training and experience on race day. Our brain creates habits as a way of conserving energy while maintaining a high level of productivity…it’s like putting our training in cruise control. Habits fuel daily training, recovery, nutrition, and yes, even mindset.
Most of the time, I am unaware of my habits. Both the good habits and the not so good habits. I also have some habits that I developed intentionally because they make my life better: my morning gratitude practice, meditation, journaling, and my sticker chart for completed workouts. Often, the only time I’m prompted to explore my bad habits is when I am dissatisfied with some aspect of my life - when I’m stuck. Being stuck is a signal that I need to slow down, investigate, and create a plan.
Well, right now, I’m stuck. I signed up for IM Indiana and I don’t have a practice plan. My motivation is low and my brain is catastrophizing. I have to own it. Time to get to work.
I use a “Work SMARTER, not Harder” framework that makes it easier for me to stick with my goals and practice good habits. It combines the practice of smart goals, the neuroscience habit loops, and behavior change. The Work SMARTER, not Harder framework transforms my vague intentions into an actionable, practice plan. What I like most about this framework is that it uses evidence-based practices designed to work with my brain and nervous system. After all, we are a team!
Here’s a summary of the Work SMARTER, not Harder framework:
Specific
Measurable
Accountable
Realistic
Time-bound
Explore
Reward
This framework is not the typical SMART goal. So let’s take a closer look:
Get SPECIFIC. I need to answer the questions: Who, what when, where, why? The sweet spot for dialing in the level of challenge for any new goal is at 7.5 /10. If it's more challenging than a 7.5, then it’s best to chunk the challenge into two or more smaller goals - or hire a coach!
MEASURE my progress. Identify a tracking method. Define what progress looks like and how I will measure that progress. I really like Training Peaks and the 80/20 training plans. Combined, these meet my criteria for progress monitoring.
Be ACCOUNTABLE. Find people that you can share your plan and journey with. Create social incentives for yourself and the TRIbe. Be open to learning with and from others. Find a mentor and/or hire a coach. The IRLAG team is a wonderful TRIbe. The team and community structures that Angela has created provide accountability for this goal.
Get REAL: Get super clear about the time and resources needed to achieve this goal. Carve out the time and gather the resources you need to set yourself up for success. Identify and plan for possible obstacles. Time is not a problem for me. Finances are the sticky part for me. Triathlon is, for me, a very expensive sport and lifestyle choice. I worry about finances, and this worry keeps me from being my best self- a great topic for another blog post.
Be on TIME. Set a start date and end date for your goal. Include intermediate progress checks. Use these check-ins to inform your future action. Make a commitment to you. Schedule time in your daily calendar for this goal. Scheduling is easy for me. Saving enough cognitive energy to work out after a day of teaching during a pandemic is questionable. I need to seriously consider working out before school.
EXPLORE habits. Explore what habits are helping me to move toward my goal, and those that are impeding my progress. The latter are the habits that need immediate triaging. Habits exist in a ‘habit loop’. Each loop has a cue, and a routine.
The CUE is a trigger for a behavior or set of behaviors. The cue triggers immediate action. Cues fall into one of these categories: time of day, location, mood, thought, person, or event. A cue can be another daily habit like brushing your teeth, turning off the alarm, or getting into your car.
The ROUTINE is the behavior(s) that is triggered by the cue. A routine has no more than 3 simple, easy steps. The routine is what you practice.
Create a habit loop ‘When-then statement’: When situation X arises, I will perform response Y. X is the cue from your environment, and Y is the new routine.
I have many habit loops for this goal: cues for pre/post-training nutrition, starting/completing the workout, bed-time, strength, stretching, journaling, mediation, social connection. For example: When the Wednesday morning Zwift alarm goes off on my cell phone, I immediately go downstairs and start the IRLAG group ride.
Immediate REWARD. Reinforce positive progress with an immediate reward that serves to further fuel future practice and progress toward meeting the goal. I really like extrinsic rewards like a sticker chart for completed workouts, a weekly habit tracking board. But honestly, I’m intrinsically motivated by how exercise makes me feel physically and mentally, and the social connection of working out with other like-minded people. I love inspiring and engaging others that share a passion for triathlon.
Working through this framework is exactly what I needed to get unstuck and create a practice plan for IM Indiana. Thanks for taking the journey with me - maybe it helped you too?!
A VISION KEEPER board is the secret sauce to Work SMARTER, not Harder! This is a blackboard in the main hallway of my house. The location makes it easy to review and more importantly it helps to keep me focused. It also becomes a talking point when people visit further amplifying the accountability aspect of this practice plan.
I call this my ‘practice plan’, because I believe that “what you practice is what you have”... or as Aristotle says, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act, but rather a habit.” - And, my performance in IM Indiana this October, will be the sum of my habits.