How to know if your plan is working [Nerd Fitness Challenge]

Depending on how the start of the year has gone, you might be feeling one of two things right now.

Either:

“Hey, this is actually going pretty well.”

Or:

“I thought I’d have more momentum than this.”

Both are completely normal. And both are exactly why this step matters.

The fourth and final step: Zooming Out.

This isn’t about judging yourself or deciding whether you “succeeded.”

It’s about learning how to check in with your plan like a coach would.

In the video below, I walk you through how to do exactly that using three simple questions.

Question 1: What went well?

Jot down the first 1 or 2 things that come to mind.

It might not be surprising, but this is often the hardest step for folks I work with. I think because we are our own worst critics, and it’s easier to point out what’s NOT working than what is.

However, there’s a lot of gold to be mined here, so it’s worth doing!

Question 2: What was a challenge?

This is where you notice things like unexpected roadblocks, or pitfalls that we need a different strategy for.

If consistency was low, that usually means the plan needs to be simpler – not that you need more motivation.

Question 3: What (if anything) to change moving forward?

Knowing the wins and the challenges, we now evaluate what to do next.

In the video I cover some details about how to know if your progress is realistic. That will help give you some guide rails when thinking about next steps.

Sometimes the right answer is: “Nothing. I just need more time.”

Other times, it’s making an adjustment to your workouts, nutrition habits, or overall strategy.

Your action step

Open your ​worksheet​ and fill out the Zoom Out section. (Or use Tobbe’s ​awesome online version!​)

Use your answer to “what (if anything) to change” to update your Core Practices.

Then, it’s time to start the cycle over again.

Track each time you complete a Core Practice. Fill up the tracking wheel. Then every 2-6 weeks (or whenever you complete the wheel), Zoom Out and make adjustments.

This is how real progress happens.

When I see a client adopt this strategy, treating each action like it’s own mini experiment, that I KNOW they will make progress.

—

If answering these questions feels harder than you expected, that’s normal.

Zooming Out is a skill. And like any skill, it gets easier with practice and feedback.

That’s why next week I’m hosting a ​live coaching session​ where we’ll work through common sticking points from the Challenge together, in real time.

You don’t need to be “stuck” to attend. You don’t need a perfect plan.

It’s just a chance to think this through with support, and see examples from other folks if that would be helpful.

My hope is that you’ll find a spark of inspiration that works for you and feel less alone in the process.

Talk soon,

-Matt