Decision Time

I had an interesting experience at the gym this morning. Alright, well, maybe it was early afternoon. I sometimes go a little later on the weekends. You know the drill, coffee, e-mail, etc. Anyway, as I said in the last blog, I talk to people. So this guy is working out next to me. I don't really know him but we've nodded to each other before and we both were on the same morning schedule. I hadn't thought about it until I saw him today but he hasn't been there in the AM since, well, I'm not sure. So I said, "are you still working with your trainer ______ ?" He said, "no, I have a new girlfriend in Los Angeles and I've been going back and forth there and I haven't been able to get up in the morning anyway." It's common that people provide multiple excuses to make it clear that the situation is way out of their control and don't you dare ask follow-up questions or offer helpful suggestions. I did, however, suggest that she could come with him and that I've heard that they have gyms in L.A. now. He grinned as though amused so I knew that I hadn't totally offended him and had possibly succeeded in creating an opening. Maybe he'll consider returning to the morning gang.

I intend to write more about the concept of "decision points" at a later time. And I will. But for now, if I were to offer this gentleman some advice, he has a "decision point" for his morning gym attendance and it isn't in the morning. That's right, it isn't in the morning. At bed time he was still leaving himself options. Or worse, by not packing he may have already been blowing it off.

He could actually make a decision at bed time to help assure that he will go to the gym in the morning. He could do things the night before to make gym attendance more likely. He could:

1. Pack the night before: gym bag with work clothes; gym attire next to the dresser near the alarm clock.
2. Set the alarm for early gym attendance. And place the alarm on a dresser away from the bed so that he has to get up to turn it off. NEVER EVER HIT A SNOOZE BUTTON.
3. Tell his girlfriend that he would be getting up early to go to the gym (self leverage).

In performing these simple steps, he is deciding the night before. This reduces the risks of turning off the alarm or changing his mind in the morning. There is no "maybe" about it. If you've packed, you've decided. The most important point here is that the primary "decision point" isn't in the morning at all. It's in the evening when it's really determined. So decide at night that it's really happening tomorrow. You'll love the way you feel.

John Hudome, DCH