Holistic Goal Detective LTD

Author: Goal Detective Cindy

  • Hitting those health and fitness goals

    Today, I walked along the road with the girls (Fluffy and Buddy). Recording the walk on my smartwatch, the Fitbit Inspire 3, was a conscious decision, a sign of my commitment to this journey. The Fitbit Inspire 3 has been a great companion, providing accurate data and motivating me to push my limits. As I am just getting back into walking, the timing was decent. I aim to shave 12 minutes off this time, a goal that motivates me as I plan to walk in the mornings. With only about 45 minutes for a walk, I am determined to make the most of it.

    The stats from my walk: 

    • Duration: 57m 15s
    • Distance: 5.57km
    • Zone minutes: 22
    • Average pace: 12’31″/km
    • Steps: 6,499
    • Energy burned: 387 cal
    • Heart rate average: 111 bpm

    If I can walk 6,000 steps in the morning with the girls, I won’t feel as bad for leaving them home when I go to work. We are over halfway to reaching the ultimate goal of 10,000 steps daily.

    The good and the bad thing about walking from my place is the last section is all uphill. The road has a gentle incline, and my driveway is long, steep, and windy. I’m not too fond of it, but I love it simultaneously. I wouldn’t say I like it because it hurts the legs and tests my lung capacity, but I love it because it works the legs and increases lung capacity. At least by having the step driveway incline last, I finish with that big push, and I HAVE to walk up the driveway; otherwise, I am not getting home to sit down and drink flavoured water.

    I would still like to take the girls for a beach walk a couple of times a week because that is my happy place (walking on the beach, not swimming in the water). This is one of the activities that brings me joy. The other fitness activity I need to start doing regularly is HITT workouts three days a week. I have feeble upper arm strength and recently bought a portable home gym exercise system. But that is separate from this.

  • Track your goals to achieve your goals

    This is a great example of how tracking your goals helps you to achieve them. The graph in black is my daily steps when I didn’t have a smart watch tracking my steps. The light background is from this week, after receiving a fitbit inspire 3.
    My daily goal step is 6,000 steps average.
    Until this week I was averaging 2,940.
    Also with the lesser steps I have put on 10kgs in the last 12 months. (3 kgs over weight according to my height)
    I have been more sad/depressed
    Haven’t been as motivated to do… anything.

    Since Buying the fitbit inspire 3 I have increased my daily steps and expect the first day when it didn’t arrive till halfway through the day. In fact I have hit 6,000 steps or more daily.
    Therefore it is time to raise the daily goal to 7,000 steps daily. The ultimate goal for this stage in my fitness journey is 10,000 steps.
    Once I get to 10,000 daily I will look into getting a Hiking backpack and add weights to it. I would like to get my own gear. And do more long distance camping.
    For long distance hiking I need daily steps (about four hours) of 30,000 steps. On average get my speed up to 4 km walked per hour. And build my strength to carry a 20kg pack for that long.
    You get to see some beautiful scenery by travelling the earth by foot.

  • You have time for your goals now what?

    Now that you have found time to work on your goals, what should you do with that time? Last week, we used a Time Finder worksheet to make time to work on our goals. This week, we are looking at how to use that time productively.

    What you will need:

    • Your updated schedule (If you don’t have a diary or planner you can use a Time Finder sheet)
    • Your Goals Detail Sheet and Task Tracker/Action Steps (You will have this from doing Goal Detecting Basics) 
    • Tools, equipment, and resources to carry out the tasks for your goal. (See your Goals Detail Sheet for this)

    If you haven’t already, go through Goal Detecting Basics and create a Goal Details Sheet. This will help you determine what to focus on and define the action steps you need to take.

    Yes, having a plan is crucial, but it’s not the only thing. You also need to take action, and that is what your scheduled time slot is for. Remember, you are the key player in achieving your dream plan action life. 

    But what if there is an obstacle in your way? For example, your goal is to walk 6,000 steps daily, and it is raining yet again in the time slot allocated for walking. Think of other ways you can get in 6,000 steps. Or break it up into small chunks. What if you took 5 minutes every hour to walk laps up and down your hallway? Or, instead of walking outside, what if you used a stepper or treadmill or went to the gym instead? Remember, there’s always a way to adapt and overcome. 

    Does it matter HOW you achieve your goal? Or is it more critical THAT YOU DO ACHIEVE your goal? Every step you take, every action you make, is a step closer to your goal. Your efforts are invaluable and appreciated.

    Is there a system you can create to help you achieve your goal? We will continue with walking 6,000 steps daily. Say the only time you have available for your walk is after you wake up. Set out your workout clothes, shoes and water bottle the night before. Have them in your way so that you trip over them and you have to change into the clothing and footwear and do the damn thing.

    What else can you do to help yourself? What if instead of parking right outside the shop’s door, you park further away? Thus, you have to walk further, which equals more steps.

    In your planner or goal details sheet, list activities you can do. These aren’t necessarily tasks on your Task Tracker; they’re just ideas of things you can do to help you on your way to success with your goal.

    Next Steps:

    1. Need help planning your goals? Enrol in Goal Detecting Basics, a free introduction to Creating Your Dream Plan Action Life. This course will provide you with the foundational knowledge and tools to plan and achieve your goals effectively. 
    2. Want to learn how to plan your quarter (the next three months)? The Quarterly Plan Workshop is for you.
    3. Want a one-on-one Goal Investigation Session?
    4. Once you have enrolled in Goal Detecting Basics, you can join our Facebook Group: Goal Investigator Group.

  • Planning your week for success with your goals

    Planning your week for

    Hey Goal Investigator, today I (Goal Detective Cindy) will walk you through how I plan out my week so that I am moving forward with my goals. I will also share my weekly planner template with you, a powerful tool that will equip you to plan out your week and move closer to your goals.

    Weekly Planner docDownload
    Weekly Planner PDFDownload

    For an introduction to goal planning, enrol in Goal Detecting Basics

    The first thing I always do when weekly planning is to fill in the dates the week started and ended. Followed by the weekly affirmation. These are both at the top of the worksheet.

    Then, I fill out the focus for the week. This can be a goal or project that you will be focusing on this week or a task that has to be done that week. Remember, this process is flexible and can adapt to your needs.

    What does success look like for you this week? Describe some measurable milestones that will help you succeed.

    What resources are required for the week? Having them listed here will help with productivity.

    If you already know some of the tasks you need to tackle this week, add them now and add them to this section during the week. If the task needs to be done on a particular day, you can add that to the daily to-do’s.

    Now, start to add in your appointments for the week.

    I like to fill in my daily to-do list the morning of, with the first three being the top priority tasks for that day.

    At the bottom of the worksheet, there is space for weekly notes and “wins and achievements.” Recording your achievements is not just a formality, it’s a powerful tool to boost your morale and keep you motivated, especially during challenging times.

    The dashboard box is to record items you are tracking each week, such as how many sales you made that week, how many inquiries you received, and how many new enrollments you received. This helps you keep track of your progress and identify areas for improvement.

    Weekly Habits is used to help you develop new habits, such as walking 6,000 steps daily, writing 500 words daily, and so on. These can change week to week as your priorities change for weekly notes and “wins and achievements”. Recording your achievements help you to see that you can actually complete things and gives you a morale boost when you are feeling down.

    Dashboard box is to record items you are tracking each week, such as how much sales you made that week, how many inquires you received, how many new enrollments you received.

    Weekly Habits is used to help you from new habits such as walking 6,000 steps daily, writing 500 words daily and so on. This can change week to week as your priorities change.

    Next Steps:

    1. Need help planning your goals? Enrol in Goal Detecting Basics, a free introduction to Creating Your Dream Plan Action Life. This course will provide you with the foundational knowledge and tools to plan and achieve your goals effectively. 
    2. Want to learn how to plan your quarter (the next three months)? The Quarterly Plan module is for you.
    3. Want a one-on-one Goal Investigation Session?
    4. Once you have enrolled in Goal Detecting Basics, you can join our Facebook Group: Goal Investigator Group.
  • Use a Time Finder to make room for your goals

    Use a Time Finder to make room for your goals

    As you will know by now from the name of my business, Holistic Goal Detectives LTD, I am all about helping you achieve your goals. One of the things I have learnt over the years is that your goals will only be achieved if you schedule them. But how are you going to schedule time for your goals if you are just so busy? That is why, when my life gets busy, I return to the Time Finder worksheet.

    Time Finder WorksheetDownload

    Disclaimer: The Time Finder is not my concept, I learnt how to use this tool when I was doing party plan many many years ago. This article just shares with you how I use the worksheet.

    The Time Finder, a landscape A4 piece of paper, is a versatile tool. It features a table with the days of the week, and three cells are allocated under each day, which I use to separate mornings, afternoons, and evenings. However, you may have your own unique way of structuring your days, so I intentionally left the rows unlabeled. You might prefer categorising your days by work, appointments, daily habits, or any other method that suits your lifestyle. Please share your approach in the comments, as it could inspire others.

    Once you have chosen how you will separate your days, it is time to get into the fun stuff: filling out the Time Finder. 

    • First, add any personal appointments you have for the coming week. 
    • Do you have any work appointments you need to add in now?
    • Add in your morning routine.
    • What time do you have lunch?
    • Do you regularly exercise?
    • Do you meal prep?
    • Do you regularly have a date night with your partner?
    • What time do you like to go to bed?
    • Do you do weekly planning? If so, when do you do it?
    • When do you do your self-development?
    • Do you or your kids/partner play sports? If this affects your time, add it.
    • Quiz Night? Add that in, too.
    • Coffee with friends?
    • You get the point. If it is something you will do this week, then add it in.

    Now, it is time to analyse your activities. Have you forgotten anything? Add that in. Are there any tasks that can be eliminated? Can you rearrange some tasks to increase efficiency and free up some time?

    Now, let’s focus on your goal. How much time a week do you need to dedicate to it? Or is there a specific day and time you would like or need to work on a task for your goal? It’s crucial to make room for one to five hours to start with for your goal. Remember, your goals are important, and you need to commit time to them to see results. 

    Now, update your planner/diary with the new schedule, including a time slot for you to work on your goal.

    Need support turning your goal into a realistic plan?

    1. Want a one-on-one Goal Investigation Session?