Stop Screwing Over Future You
From someone who loves to set their future-self up for failure.
Coach Sam and I have a running bit around the house. She likes to joke that there is nobody I love screwing over more, than future Dylan.
She would tell you that I love to set him up for failure. That there is nothing that present Dylan enjoys more than saying “oh, future Dylan’s got this!”.
I wish she wasn’t spot on the nose here.
In reality, two of my common flaws are merely intersecting.
My lifelong skill of procrastination combined with my tendency to expect more from myself than is realistic.
True story
I bring this up because I see this commonly within my coaching practice.
I see it most often within the context of goal setting and planning.
Setting the scene
We have all probably been told that we should avoid grocery shopping when we’re hungry.
Why? Well, because when grocery shopping while hungry, you’re going to be more likely to deviate from your plan and purchase more of that super delicious food than normal.
Even if it was your intention not to.
The idea is to grocery shop on a full stomach, with a clear mind and with an plan in place (grocery list).
This idea extends outside of the grocery store.
Similar to how I think it’s wise to grocery shop while in a fed state, I also think it’s wise to goal set while not in a hyper-motivated state.
Or at least, you should goal set with your least motivated self in mind.
You see, we often get hyper motivated and then make plans while in that state of being.
That state of being is great. I particularly enjoy the feeling of being motivated and feeling like I’ve used that positivity to construct an iron clad plan.
But…here is the flaw within that dynamic:
It’s efficacy hinges on staying in that highly motivated state.
This plan is fundamentally doomed.
As does everything within the human experience, motivation ebbs and flows.
If your plan is a tall order even when highly motivated, it’s now become a futile plan on your lower motivation days.
On top of that, if you have a history of viewing your behaviour as dichotomous (meaning good vs bad), then you are even further setting yourself up for failure.
What should I do instead?
This is simple, but not easy.
Partially because it’s less sexy and may simply leave your highly motivated self unsatisfied. If this article resonates with you, then I’d say that’s probably a good thing.
Create a plan that you know even your lowest self can manage. Or at least, have an alternative plan for those days.
I’ve talked before about using BAM targets. This is a great scenario for you to use this strategy.
BAM stands for Bare Ass Minimum
This would be an example of flexible planning as opposed to rigid planning.
As you can see above, the flexible approach is probably a more effective one in the long run.
An example of rigid planning, especially while in that uber motivated state, could look like saying:
“Starting Monday, I’m going to start working out every morning!”
Unless you’ve been working out 6x a week prior to this, I’m not sure this is a great plan.
And even if you had been working out 6x per week, planning to workout everyday, regardless of circumstances, still lacks the flexibility that will be beneficial down the road.
This plan is often a mix of guilt, hope and motivation all converging into the from of a momentarily motivating, but fundamentally terminal goal.
This is Present You, projecting a whole host of skills, planning and execution onto Future You, that Past You, never demonstrated the ability to consistently achieve.
A table chart demonstrating how present you, screws over future you. This is done by present you, projecting skills onto future you, that past you, had never even come close to solidifying.
If you’ve been struggling to only workout 2–3 times a week prior to this, you’re really screwing over Future You, here.
If working out 2–3 times was hard to maintain historically, what could have possibly changed to make 7 times a week realistic now?
This is exactly how Present You, fucks over Future You.
With this in mind, my main suggestion is to do two things:
Make goals/plans that you know your lowest motivated self can still execute. At a minimum, have BAM targets or flexible plans to follow on the toughest of days.
2. Take into account what you have struggled with in the past to set goals and habits that are appropriate improvements from there.
An example of this is focusing on getting in 3 workouts per week consistently for a month or two, before adding in more workouts into your week.
Similar to how you wouldn’t assign a higher workload to someone who is currently being swallowed by their assignments.
You want to challenge yourself, not drown yourself.
In summary, you want Current You, to set Future You, up for success. Which will involve being honest about Past You’s abilities.
This may require taking a step back and setting less sexy, but more effective goals and plans.
Which I will add, there is nothing wrong with that.
We’re looking for positive outcomes. Not flashy outcomes.
Cheers,
Coach Dylan 🍻
Additional Resources:
A related piece of content you may enjoy is a podcast episode we did all about goal setting.
Give it a listen with the links below and let us know what you think.
If you’re looking for a related article to help provide you with more practical tips for setting goals and behaviour change, then I have exactly what you’re looking for:
Article: How to Effectively Set Your Fitness Goals
As always, if you are looking for help with your fitness journey and want to take the guesswork out of your training/nutrition, you can apply for online coaching below and we’ll set up a complimentary coaching call to see if we’re the right fit!