Checklists are boring. Especially the recurring ones the ones where you do the same thing every single day.
But the boring, recurring checklist is the most useful tool you have. Here’s why, and how to use it for your fitness.
1. The most disciplined people repeat themselves.
When we talk about disciplined people, we’re usually talking about people who do the same thing every day. They figured out the best strategy once. Now they just follow it. No brainstorming. No wondering what to do today. The thinking is already done.
2. Your workout is a checklist.
A workout is a series of exercises you’re going to do on a particular day. The programs we design for you are exactly that a checklist. You record what you did, you get everything done, and you get a big check mark when the day is complete.
3. Your steps are a checklist.
Set a step goal. Hit it. Check it off. And if you know exactly what time of day you’re going to get those steps, even better you’ve removed one more decision.
4. Your nutrition can be a checklist too.
A food log, a food diary, MyFitnessPal these are all just checklists. You decide what you’re going to eat, then you check it off. Knowing your meals ahead of time turns eating well into a task you complete, not a decision you wrestle with all day.
5. Expect the boredom. It’s coming.
When you start a checklist, it’s exciting. Something new. Checking things off feels productive. Then it gets boring fast.
6. Boredom makes you want to change things. Don’t.
When the checklist gets boring, you’ll feel a pull to switch it up. Keep things fresh. Try a new plan. But constantly re-strategizing almost never beats the checklist that’s already proven to work. Novelty feels productive. It usually isn’t.
7. The checklist is what turns behavior into identity.
The plan creates the checklist. The checklist creates repetition. Repetition creates habit. And habit is what delivers real short-term and long-term progress with exercise, nutrition, and pretty much anything else.
If you feel stuck constantly researching, constantly rethinking, but not actually getting results stop strategizing and build the checklist. Then check it off. Every day. That’s how you become someone who consistently exercises, eats well, and gets great results.
– James