greggillis

Category: 90 Day Transition

  • Journal – 7/16/17: Goals, Success & Failure

    Howdy! This’ll be the first of many weekly journal entries where I do a quick analysis of the previous weeks successes and failures, which I’ll share both as public shaming, but more seriously to share the formal process of personal goals.

    Last week I started a 39 week goal cycle for weight loss and maintenance, plus two 16 week goals for exercise and wrapping up writing a novel that’s proven a tough nut to crack. I’m using two tools to help this process along, stickk.com and Fitbit. Stickk is a simple goal-setting platform that lets you set a goal, apply financial stakes and include a referee for your goals. There’s two parts to Fitbit I’m putting to use, the first is the tracker to monitor daily activity, the second is the food log on their site where I get to be horrified by the sheer volume of calories I consume when I’m not paying attention. (more…)

  • 90 Day Transition: Final Report

    90_Day_Transition(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)

    Recap and Look Ahead

    I’ve had a few goal sets that rocked my world,  changed paradigms for me, this wasn’t one of those. If I was to use a sports analogy this was less Tom Brady and more a journeyman third-string back-up – sturdy and dependable, but nothing sexy.

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  • 90 Day Transition: Week 10 Report

    90_Day_Transition(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)

    In the Moment

    I realized when I started to write this, that I’m looking past this current set of goals to the next. Which is the LAST thing I need to do. On one hand, the simply act of setting and tracking goals has been good for me. On the other, I’ve fallen far short of the kind of focus and intensity I demand of myself (I’m not talking superhuman levels, just that sense that I’ve extended myself beyond comfort).

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  • 90 Day Transition: Week 9 Report

    90_Day_Transition(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)

    Proficient-ish

    With two-weeks left on this goal set, I’m back in a productive groove, so I think the primary purpose (of these goals) has been met. But I was WAY off on my goal formulation for my creative projects – I chide my clients and others for cutting corners on the “thinky” part of goal setting, so it’s only fitting I out myself! I set the goal intellectually – it was what I “should” do – leaving out the all-important emotional motive.

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  • 90 Day Transition: Week 8 Report

    90_Day_Transition(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)

    Changing Paradigms

    I’m taking a break from my regularly scheduled reportage on the day-to-day of tracking this 90-day goal set to discuss an important benefit that results from paying close attention to your life. Having formal goals isn’t just about the goals, it’s about noticing what in your life supports or hinders succeeding at your goals.

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  • 90 Day Transition: Week 7 Report

    90_Day_Transition(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)

    Physician, heal thyself.

    Me not taking my own advice is not as rare as I’d like it to be, but sooner or later I’ll spot my hypocrisy and move to stomp it out. The advice I was ignoring was “be alert to mistaking complex for complicated”. To me. if something feels complicated that translates to “I’m making too few decisions while paying attention to all possible decisions” – complication hints at ambiguity, and ambiguity is death to any goal.

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  • 90 Day Transition: Week 6 Report

    90_Day_Transition(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)

    Trying Times!

    Well, my nephew now has 100 of my dollars, which I’m not amused by (well, a little amused, pride coming before a fall and all that). If my results this coming week prove this to be an anomaly, I’ll view this two-week failure on my weight loss goal as an unnecessary evil, simply serving as proof that it’s a goal I need.

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  • 90 Day Transition: Week 5 Report

    90_Day_Transition(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)

    Failure!

    What’s the price of failure? Well, in this case it’s fifty bucks (paid to my most excellent nephew Ellory), which doesn’t make me happy. But I can’t be too upset, I saw this fail coming a mile off – it was my birthday week and I indulged in all the high-calorie treats generously thrown in my path. That said, I’ll double down this coming week to get back on track.

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  • 90 Day Transition: Week 3 Report

    90_Day_Transition(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)

    Momentum Stalled

    Not my best showing, the fact that I succeeded with my goals this week has more to do with not giving up than being effective. I did almost everything I could to sabotage my efforts, and only a late Saturday rally got me across the finish line.

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  • 90 Day Transition: Week 2 Report

    90_Day_Transition(Read the overview for the basics of this 90 day push.)

    Gaining Momentum

    A better week than last, still room for improvement. I’m in the process of making a decision which will have a huge impact on my day-to-day life, something I’ve been procrastinating on, that I’ve finally put a deadline on. I don’t mean to be obtuse, but its something I need to keep close to my vest. I mention it only to share that no matter how unrelated things in our lives may seem from us accomplishing goals like weight loss or writing a book, everything in our emotional ecosystem effects everything else.   (more…)