Something went wrong.
Your instinct says it’s time for a bold correction.
That instinct is costing you more than you think.
Hi, I’m Coach Tony. This is a Project Manage Your Life (PMYL) Pro Tip. It’s one of the tools I use to help people set better goals, stay consistent, and actually finish what they start.
Ready for a dad joke?
Before we dive in, here's a groan-worthy dad joke as a little palate cleanser. I promise it will be worth every penny you paid for it. 😂
I saw a snake that was 3.14 meters long. Turns out it was a πthon.
When Things Go Wrong, Resist This Urge
This month at Operation Melt, we are focused on Pause. Process. Plan.
We started by talking about pausing, reviewing our progress and focusing on how far we’ve come, not just how much road is left in front of us.
Then we discussed how processing the good, bad and ugly in our journey is a two-part formula: the facts and the story. Telling yourself a negative story about your progress is a demotivator, whereas being your own best cheerleader amplifies your efforts.
This week, we will focus on how our pause and process steps turn into actions as we plan what comes next.
Retro is In
Retrospectives are a non-negotiable part of the Project Manage Your Life process.
At the end of every two-week sprint, we stop. We look at what went well, what did not go well, our measurable results, and any ideas we want to carry into the next sprint. Then we use what we learned to build the plan for the next two weeks. And then we do it again.
Rinse and repeat until the goal is done.
Here is the part where I have to give you a tough reminder.
You are not going to win every sprint.
In every goal journey, there are ups and downs. Some targets get hit easily. Some need multiple tries. Some sprints will feel like a total loss even when real progress was made underneath the surface.
That is not failure. That is the process.
What matters is what you do next. Because your reaction to a setback is what determines whether that setback makes you better or sets you further back.
And this is the fragile moment where some high achievers get it wrong.
You Win Some, You Lose Some
High achievers are working hard, outside of their comfort zones, and setbacks are going to happen. They are part of the process. Here are three real-life setbacks my clients have shared during progress reviews. Names have been changed to protect confidentiality.
Kate started a weight loss journey and reached the end of her two-week sprint. She had been successful with every part of her diet and exercise routine. Her weight went UP one pound.
Brandi invested months of hard work into launching her side hustle. She followed her plan to the letter. After one successful quarter, she faced a significant sales decline and barely broke even.
Jordan committed to adding ten minutes of meditation to her daily morning routine. During her retrospective, she only meditated twice.
All three of these high-achieving women faced a choice about how to respond to their setbacks.
Each one had a similar initial thought. Kate was tempted to say, “this isn’t the right plan for me, I need to do something totally different.” Brandi was ready to say, “my business isn’t working, I need a new approach.” Jordan very clearly thought, “meditation doesn’t work for me.”
High achievers tend to favor bold, decisive action, especially in the face of failure.
When that commitment to bold action turns into blowing up your whole plan and starting fresh, you multiply the failure instead of correcting it. You cost yourself momentum and return to square one.
Tweak vs. Trash
There is a better way. Scientists have known it since the seventeenth century: you do not throw out the whole experiment after one bad result. You adjust the hypothesis and run it again.
When my clients face setbacks and are tempted to throw out their entire plan, I ask one question.
What is one thing you can tweak in your plan that might improve your results?
Not a dozen changes. Just one. Maybe two.
One tweak is a structured, controlled change. Blowing up your whole plan is chaos. Chaos is the opposite of project managing your life.
When things go wrong, testing small adjustments is the secret to improvement.
Which option will you choose: controlled structure or knee-jerk chaos?
Keep Calm and Plan On… Together
Reacting to setbacks with calm, controlled structure is easier when you have people in your corner who have been there themselves.
That is exactly what we are going to do in the March Goal Crusher Coffee Chat.
First Quarter Timeout
Pause. Process. Plan.
In this session, we will take an intentional pause to take an honest look at how Q1 went. This includes how far you’ve already come.
We will process what is working and what is not. Remember, it’s not just about the facts, it’s about the story.
Then we will start to plan our next chapter, so we start Q2 with intention. This will be a no-chaos zone.
This virtual coffee chat will feature an informal roundtable discussion where we will each answer one simple question:
What’s one thing you’re proud of from Q1, and one small shift you want to make in Q2?
If you are ready to celebrate your wins and calmly embrace your setbacks as learning experiences, this conversation is for you.
Click below or visit OperationMelt.com/CoffeeChat to save your spot for this free event.
When something goes wrong in your goal journey, the temptation to start over feels like taking action. It is not. It is just a more expensive way to stay stuck. Goal Crushers think more precisely and more scientifically. Identify one thing to adjust. Test it. Let it settle. Then look again. Small tweaks compound. Chaos just resets the clock.
You’re here for a reason. Let’s take the next step.
Meet Coach Tony
Tony Weaver is a master life coach, technologist, consultant, writer, and founder of Operation Melt.
He helps project managers and other left-brained high-achievers pursue their biggest goals.
Through free resources, personalized coaching, and his proven Project Manage Your Life system, Tony empowers clients to move their dreams from “someday” to success… one step at a time.
Learn more about Project Manage Your Life, the system my clients and I use to crush our goals, at OperationMelt.com/PMYL/
Meet Coach Tony