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The Secret to Getting Stuff Done
This Week's Tips
Want to lose weight? Eat better? Look younger? Here's the surefire way to get yourself moving toward any goal.
Think about your goal in bits and pieces. Turn it into a list of small tasks that can be knocked off, one by one.
Step-by-Step Weight Loss
If you're trying to slim down, focus your thoughts on the possible steps involved, such as buying new workout gear; scheduling daily exercise sessions; planning a week's worth of low-calorie meals every Sunday; and keeping a record of your weight loss. People in a study who broke it down like this in their heads got an earlier start and made more progress on an assigned task than people who thought only in abstract terms about the task. In related research, focusing often on the motivation for a goal helped, too: "I'll look better in those jeans if I drop 15 pounds!" Here's a handy tool that will help you set your weight loss goal, keep you motivated, and monitor your progress.
Keep It Simple
Too many details may overwhelm you, so don't make the steps complicated. Just create doable tasks and work through the list. And give equal attention to both your planning and your motivation. Find out what sports psychologists say about learning to love your least favorite activity.
