In Ask Coach Tony, you can put my Operation Melt coaching to the test by asking me questions about how to achieve your goals.
Because a question asked by one is often a question had by many, I am regularly sharing these answers via the Operation Melt blog.
Amuse-Bouche Before we jump into today's post, I offer you this "dad joke" as a light "amuse-bouche" to entertain your mind before we get serious. Like any other amuse-bouche, you may hate it, but it is worth every penny you paid for it, right? My grandfather has the eyes of an eagle, the heart of a lion, the stomach of a bear… and a lifetime ban from the zoo.
What happens when progress stalls? Time to focus on building.
Coach Tony: I started running about a year ago and have a problem. When I first started, I got faster, and the runs felt more comfortable very quickly. Then, after a few months of steady performance improvements, I plateaued and stopped getting better. For the past several months, my pace has stayed the same, my VO2 score hasn’t improved, and the same running pace isn’t feeling any easier. I run at least three times per week, and some weeks I run every day. Why am I not getting better?
I love this question!
While this question is specifically about running, it is really about much more. This question is really about all forms of self-improvement. Whether you want to become a better runner, lifter, leader, friend, project manager, you want to lose weight or anything else this situation applies to you.
When you start any new activity, you will often see early results. As you get started, you learn the fundamentals, and your skill level improves from inexperienced to novice to proficient in short order through practice. Said differently, you can experience quick gains just by putting in the reps.
Moving from proficient to skilled or even to mastery requires a slightly different mindset. Reps alone are no longer sufficient to achieve sustained results.
Why?
It all comes back to one of my favorite questions a mentor of mine asked long ago… are you building something or just doing stuff?
In the situation presented in the question, this runner puts in the reps and runs often. But just going out and running isn’t enough to drive improvements in your performance. It is just doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
It’s just doing stuff.
Achieving performance gains in running, like in any other area of life, requires your focus to be on building something. You need a plan that is designed to build your skills instead of just flexing your existing muscles over and over again.
For example, increasing your running speed requires a balance of “easy” runs, tempo runs, threshold runs, speedwork and long runs. These different forms of runs should be balanced with rest days and cross-training, including strength training. By having a more deliberate strategy for each run, you will see clear performance improvements over time.
As I said, this strategy is not limited to running:
- Leadership: in addition to flexing your leadership muscles each day, you need a steady diet of educational content, experimentation (e.g., applying what you learn) and uncomfortable situations to build those muscles.
- Weight Loss: beyond dieting, you also need exercise, rest days, refueling days, varying your types of exercise and mental health/mindset exercises to see sustained progress.
- Weight Training: if you want to see muscle growth, you must be planful about which muscle groups you work on which days, the types of exercises you combine each day, and your nutrition (especially calories, protein and carbs) to see growth… you can’t just wander into the gym and expect to see the right results – I’ve tried, and it doesn’t work.
- Relationships: you can’t just meet someone, spend time together and hope you become best friends or romantic partners. Your relationship will grow exponentially faster by genuinely listening to the person, being vulnerable and helping them when they need a hand (service beats presence every time).
By approaching any goal deliberately, strategically, and planful, you can avoid the dreaded plateau in your progress. On the other hand, if you pursue your goals in a “just doing stuff” manner, you may still see improvements; they will just be glacially slow.
Achieving long-term, sustained improvements in any area of your life is easier with my six-step, project management-based approach:
- Commit to SMART goals: do you know what you are trying to achieve?
- Build a plan that works for you: do your homework and sketch out a plan based on facts.
- Measure progress every day: did you move forward, backward, or did you sit still this week?
- Expect and plan ahead for problems: nothing worth achieving is ever smooth sailing, be ready for challenges.
- Don’t go it alone: build your team of experts and accountability partners to help get you to your destination. If you want to go far, go together!
- Enjoy the journey: the work you do each day can’t only be a means to an end. If you enjoy each step, you are less likely to give up early.
By embracing a planful approach, you can achieve sustained performance improvements in running or any other facet of your life. On the other hand, if you are happy where you are, just keep putting in the reps to maintain your status. Not every aspect of your life needs sustained improvement… prioritization is key!
So… can I ask you a question? Are you building something or just doing stuff?
Are you ready to start building something in some area of your life where you are just doing stuff today? As a Master Life Coach, I can help you create your planful approach that achieves sustained improvements over the long haul. Let’s talk! Please visit the Operation Melt coaching page and submit a non-obligation inquiry form.
Ask Me Anything!
Do you have a question you would like to submit for a future Ask Coach Tony post? Whatever your question, I am here to help. Ask Me Anything!
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Meet Coach Tony
My name is Coach Tony, and I am a coach, author and project manager on a mission. I am working to build a world where no goal ever dies of loneliness.
I almost allowed one of my biggest life goals to die without ever being attempted for forty years. My goal almost died, not of failure but of loneliness. But, I took a risk and leveraged a simple, logical process that helped me wildly exceed my goal.
I transformed my life, and you can do the same with the help of Operation Melt.
Operation Melt provides engaging, practical content and hands-on coaching to inspire, motivate and equip project managers and other left-brained high-achievers to pursue and accomplish their biggest goals.
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