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A month into the new year, and most of us have fallen off the path we’d hoped to be on at the New Year. It’s not surprising, and it’s doubly frustrating; especially since we’re people who can get hard stuff done. But it’s not our fault. Resolutions are a trap.They’re fun because we dream of how the results will feel rather than the work we’ll have to do to attain them.
It’s hard to go and hit the gym three times a week, doing essentially the same workout, for TWO FULL MONTHS before we see any result. And that’s exactly what training is. The way we get around this need for results is to reduce the goalpost you’re aiming for, and also the amount of work you’re going to put in.
Long term planning is hard because the time horizon is bigger than we’d like to imagine. It’s also the only kind of planning that matters. What you do in today’s session doesn’t matter near as much as how it relates to the next 8-12 sessions that follow it. What’s key is teaching the body to make slow, and relatively permanent, changes, rather than just getting whooped by some hard exercise.
The key to successful long term planning is to make the changes as simple as possible. At first, the training can be easy to motivate for and produce fairly profound results. Where we separate good training from just getting tired in the gym is down the road a few weeks. The immediate result of a workout is that you are weak and tired. This lasts for a little less than a day for the most part, and then, ideally, your body is ready for more. Simple, small changes.
Consider:
What if I increased my leg strength by just 5 pounds, but did so each month for the next year?
What if I lost 1/10 of a pound each week for the next 52 weeks?
What if I got just 1% better each month for the next year?
What might it be like if I not only quit drinking my daily beer, but committed to drinking an extra glass of water each day?
First, second, and third-order consequences
Let’s revisit first, second, and third-order consequences.
A first-order consequence is what happens right when we do something. It’s type 1 fun. Riding a roller coaster. Drinking alcohol. A late night party. Shopping. Think in terms of things that give you a dopamine hit in the moment.
Second-order consequences are how we feel about those actions the next day. The roller coaster now feels like it was a bit of a money and time waster. We didn’t really need those pants we bought. Should’ve gone to bed earlier.
And if we did something yesterday that didn’t give us a huge first-order upside, like a workout, we likely have a better feeling toward it the next day. We’re proud of ourselves for training yesterday. We invested that money. We got a good night’s sleep.
Finally, the third-order consequences are what a behavior looks like over time. If I invest $10,000 in an index fund, I’ll have $20,000 in about ten years. If I drink three beers a night, I’ll have spent more than $30,000 in those same ten years and might not be as happy with where my money went. Sticking to a training plan is tough because the first-order results are often terrible—it’s not always fun to train—but the long term can literally save your life.
The M.I.T.
There is a concept in the productivity realm called the M.I.T., or Most Important Thing. It basically means doing what you have to do, even if it feels like you’d rather not. The M.I.T. concept revolves around identifying and prioritizing the single most important task or activity that yields the greatest impact toward achieving whatever you most want. It’s about focusing efforts on high-value activities rather than becoming overwhelmed by a multitude of less impactful tasks. The M.I.T. is not necessarily the most time-consuming activity but the one that brings the most significant progress, whether in climbing, health, or life in general.
The problem here is that it’s hard to sort out what’s really important.
A few challenges:
Too Many Options
In training, life organization, relationships, and finance (and everywhere else), experts present a flood of conflicting information, making it difficult to pinpoint any single most important action.
Low-Impact Activities or Distractions
People might focus on less critical activities (e.g., chasing minor details like choosing the perfect supplement) instead of addressing the big-ticket items like eating enough or training consistency.
Lack of Immediate Gratification
The M.I.T. often requires long-term commitment without immediate results (focus on second order results instead of first-order), such as improving sleep habits or adhering to a training program.
Resistance: Emotional or Habitual
Addressing the M.I.T. often challenges ingrained behaviors, such as late-night snacking or skipping sessions, requiring both mental and emotional effort to overcome.
Sorting Out What’s Important
There are dozens of great systems for sorting out what to do next, but the essential first step is a reflection on values and goals. Do I value following through on commitments? Do I value trying hard at the gym? Do I have a financial goal, strength goal, redpoint goal, or fat loss goal?
Once I get a picture of these things, I start to be able to see what things I don’t value. And almost all of us put high value on the behaviors that lead to positive second and third order results. We don't value first order results nearly as heavily. Things like scrolling social media, buying beer, or vegging on the couch start to drop off the priority list.
And relaxing is fine…until it moves you away from your own stated values and goals. If someone talks to me about how their singular focus in life is to climb 5.15, the next time I see them, they shouldn’t be taking it easy, drinking to excess, or riding a mountain bike. If getting better at climbing was easy we would all climb 5.14 or better…and we also wouldn’t care about it.
For most of us, climbing is our version of living what Todd Skinner called “the endless wish.” It’s not easy, and wishing it were is to sacrifice the gift.
STEVE BECHTEL
Steve is the founder of Climb Strong, and is proud to be the worst coach on the Climb Strong team. A climber for nearly 40 years, he has traveled the globe bouldering, sport climbing, and doing first ascents of some of the world's biggest walls.
He lives in Lander, Wyoming, with his wife Ellen, and children Sam and Anabel.