The Benefits of a "Cheat Day"

The new year is here and it’s everyone’s favorite time of year to dream about what’s to come. Whether you like to call them goals, resolutions, or projects for the coming year, they all have the same thing at heart: growth and development in our lives. Many of us make these resolutions concerning our physical and/or mental health, financial well-being, and professional development. Research shows, however, that many of us abandon these resolutions within the first two months of the year. Before spring has even sprung, we have given up on growth, and slipped back into old habits. Luckily, Marissa A. Sharif, assistant professor of marketing at Wharton, has some insights on how to hold yourself accountable.

Sharif’s research centers around the idea of “emergency reserves”. This is the idea that you may not be able to achieve your goals every single day, week, or month of the coming year due to extenuating circumstances. Simply put, budget in some “cheat days”. For example, if you set a goal to lose 20 pounds, one action steps may be to workout 6 times each week. This is all well and good until a work project comes up and derails all good intentions. All too often this type of unforeseen circumstance results in people abandoning these goals entirely. Instead, says Sharif, factoring in some emergency reserves allows one to keep eyes on the prize while still juggling the demands of life. Instead of a rigid “6 workouts per week” approach, try a flexible “6 workouts per week with 2 emergency reserves”. Then, if a work project or a common cold pop up, no one has to feel guilty about not sticking to their plan.

There is a balance that must be struck, however, when factoring in emergency reserves. Self-control is just as important in maintaining a commitment to goals. Going back to the example of 6 workouts per week, knowing that only 2 of them can be compromised can be a good wakeup call about time management. Say a work project or illness does crop up, it’s great to use a cheat day. If, however, you just didn’t get enough sleep and don’t feel like hitting the gym, maybe it’s not the best time to use your cheat day. Instead, take a good long walk to get your heart rate up, and think about how to do better tomorrow. Check out the full article here for more information on how cutting yourself some slack can make you better in the long run.

Fast-Tracking Goals

Anyone who follows these posts knows how much I like to share Wharton’s ever-expanding collection of nano-tools; their fast and effective leadership hacks that can transform your management style in a matter of minutes. Their newest instalment does not disappoint.

Wharton’s own Professor of Operations Katy Milkman contributes to this fantastic new nano-tool, and gives some very practical and exciting advice on how to make goals not just achievable, but downright enjoyable. As it turns out, willpower has less to do with it than one might think. Whether you want to ditch a bad habit or start a new healthy one, check out these action steps and see if you or your team can have a little more fun with your next goal setting venture.

The Goal Trap

We all know the quote “Healer, heal thyself.” But what about “Leader, lead thyself”? For those in leadership, managing ourselves and helping those we lead to do likewise is critical for success. Goal setting and achievement is an important part of self-management, but as we all know, the future has a way of getting away from us. 

In short, a focus on goals may be the trap that is an obstacle to their realization.  Maybe if we managed the present a little better our goals would stand a better chance of being achieved.  To that end, if your long term goals are eluding you, some adjustment to the here and now may make all the difference.  Take 5 minutes for an excellent video that explores how to do just that, with some very practical tips, on “How to Make Long-Term Improvements in Your Life.”

Resolutions You Can Keep

With 2020 thankfully coming to an end, many of us are thinking about what we want to improve about ourselves, our lives, and the world around us.  These ideas typically manifest themselves in the proverbial New Year’s resolutions, and are too often jettisoned by January’s end.  To be achieved, a resolution needs to be transformed into a goal.  We are familiar with the SMART goal methodology (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound) which is no doubt helpful, but for many of us not enough.

One of Vistage’s top speakers on communication has some insights that may help you.  Chalmers Brothers has been invited to address our C-Level members over 600 times.  Mr. Brothers is a master of the conversations we have with others, and perhaps most importantly, the ones with ourselves. Changing how we handle both may help us enhance our resolution batting average.  Specifically, Mr. Brothers thinks our goal setting falls short because we fail to consider other powerful aspects of the process.  Read more about it in his short but valuable article: Goal-Setting, Declarations and The Power of Context.  (See his TEDx talk for a deeper, humorous exploration on “How language generates your world and mine.”  Highly recommended for those who aspire to lead).

Happy New Year!