The Key to a Healthier, Wealthier Life (and a better Golf Score!)
Some may think the title of this post is just another example of hyperbolic self-help link baiting, it’s not. I looked across my life for a key aspects of times I have undertaken positive change in my life and been able sustain that change. In every instance there has been one common factor that helped my achieve and sustain my goals: tracking.
Whoa, wait, before you click away or hit the J key on your keyboard, here me out. It may seem overly simple but, it works. I apologize to those of you who may have read this post in hopes of discovering a magic achievement spell, you won’t find one. You will however, find a few examples of challenges overcome with simple progress tracking as well as a few web tools to help you on your way.
Track Your Way to Better Health
Whether it is a workout plan from a fitness club with an area to write down your reps our a plan you are using to train for your first marathon, tracking your health and workout routine is key to success. Why do you think Weight Watchers got so big? All the do is help you track your calorie intake, excersize, and weight on a day to day basis so you can see the difference but, it’s helped a ton of people get healthier. You can do the same.
I track my workouts, runs and fitness with MapMyRun.com , it’s made a world of difference. Whereas before I was just running till I was tired and not really noticing any differences, now I can tell how far I am running, set goals, measure my progress and use my progress as motivation to push myself to the next level.
Track Your Way to Greater Wealth
There are many tools for tracking your budget that we have written about in posts like 3 Fast and Easy Budgeting Methods and Budget Budget Budget! , the key though is actually using them! Maintain them, check them and respond to the changes you need to make. Now that I am looking to save more and buy a condo, this has become more crucial than ever and the more I leverage/track Yodlee and my budgeting practices, the closer I get. To use social tracking and get motivation from your close friends, Smarty Pig is another great option for savings.
Track your Way to a Better Golf Score
Hey, not everyone plays golf I know but, this works with any sport. Being able to check your stats and see improvment is key to staying involved. I have definitely seen it in my golf game by tracking my stats on Golf Buzz. If you have favorite sites for your sport of choice, please share them!
Of course there are other factors to success, I am sure this post will lead to a discussion around them but, my key factor is being able to track my progress. What is yours?
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August 21st, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I find that tracking definitely helps when I start something new, such as a workout routine, budget, billable hours goals, etc.. But, I find that somewhere down the line I fall off the wagon. Maybe it’s a few days where I just don’t do what I’m supposed to do. I know that I’ve screwed up the track record so I don’t feel motivated to track myself anymore. Eventually I’ll probably stop working towards the goal altogether.
Anyone else run into this? Any thoughts on how to keep it going after a shortfall?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:12 am
I never had conscient indicators in mind starting any activities, but there must some as I always feel to be in or out. I should track those indicatos.
August 22nd, 2008 at 8:24 am
@ Brian - All the time I quit a goal because I sucked at it! I think the best way to insure that you do something all the way through 1) Track it or, 2) Tell everyone about it. if other people know about it, they can support you and even motivate you to complete, besides that, who wants to tell their friends they failed? or 3) do it with a friend. Make common goal with a bud and work towards it together.