Written goal sheet
Goals written down, in numbers, and kept where you see them every morning
One sheet of specific targets, numeric where possible and dated, kept somewhere you cannot avoid it: bedside table, fridge door, desk. The writing matters less than the daily look at it, which turns getting up into a decision to work on something. Swimmers write times. Other people write revenue, pages or reps.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Michael PhelpsDoes it
Olympic swimmer · Most decorated Olympian in history
Kept a goal sheet of target times by his bed so the first thing he saw each morning was what he was getting up to work on. He and coach Bob Bowman also pinned up quotes and other swimmers' times at the pool, which he used as extra fuel on off days.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #494: Michael Phelps and Grant Hackett, transcript“So for me, every morning I got out of bed and I saw my goal sheet of the times I wanted to do that year or at the Olympics or whatever written down. So when I was getting out of bed, I was getting out of bed with a purpose.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #494: Michael Phelps and Grant Hackett, transcript (opens in a new tab) · 23 Jan 2021
Aimed at the same thing
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A fixed, early wake time, often before anyone else is awake
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Write something every day, published or not
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Backed by 2 of 44 stacks: 2 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it - HabitFREE, no cost
Daily design
Writing the day ahead in the past tense, then scoring it out of ten at night
Backed by 1 of 44 stacks: 1 do it, 0 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.