Write it down! It seems to be the catch phrase of goal setting these days. Want to lose weight? Keep a record of everything that passes your lips. Want to save money? Keep a record of every dime you spend. Record keeping is a useful tool and milestones Are Crucial to reaching a goal. Milestones tell you if your efforts are working. They’re also the benchmarks that you can use to know if you are moving in the right direction toward your goal. However, extreme record keeping can become overwhelming, causing you to stumble and fall short of your goals.
What I am doing is what I call recordkeeping light. I started, for example, by writing down everything I ate for a week. This created a baseline for my caloric intake. I then set my goal for what I wanted my caloric intake to be and began my journey. Three to four weeks in, I again kept a journal of my foods for a week and plotted these numbers into a graph. I use ChartGizmo a fun free program to create and track my progress.
After several months I was not overwhelmed with the record keeping and I also was able to keep a close eye on my progress and on whether or not I am reaching my milestones.
This method may not be for everyone. Why? Because of the cheat factor; the days of record keeping MUST be as normal as the every other day. However, it can be a great solution to the often overwhelming task of record keeping and can assist you in moving forward.
Leave a Reply