7 rules for goal reminders.

Use reminders and keep them in every environment.

The first step in following through with any goal is remembering it in the first place. Follow 7 rules for your goal reminders.

1. Use them

Reminders are essential to achieving a new goal, whether it’s to drink more water, take walk breaks at work, or eat breakfast. Reminder ideas

It’s easy to forget to do these things once you get busy with your regular daily routine, especially if it’s a new behavior.

You might have a goal of drinking 8 glasses of water a day but before you know it it’s 3pm and you haven’t even had 2 glasses.

2. Keep reminders in every environment

Keep reminders in every environment:

• At work
• At home
• In your car, etc.

If your goal is to drink more water, keep a refillable water bottle in your car, on your desk at work, by your alarm clock, on your kitchen counter, etc.

In order to lose weight for good, you must make small, gradual, and healthy changes to your lifestyle. (Our approach to weight loss) Lifestyle changes take place in every environment; not just in one location.

3. Make reminders visible and obvious

Reminders will only work if you notice them. Keep reminders in, on, and near things you will see regularly throughout the day:

• On your phone
• In your wallet or on your money clip
• In a desk drawer you open frequently
• By your purse or keys

Reminders need to be visible and obvious to grab your attention and snap you out of autopilot mode. Other places to keep reminders

4. Use anything as a reminder

People, places, and things can be used as goal reminders.

• Ask a friend to send you text message reminders.
• Set a phone alarm as a reminder.
• Keep your written goal on your desk as a reminder.

Experiment with different reminders: some will work and some won’t. Find what works for you.

5. Be strategic about your reminders

Place reminders in strategic locations.

• If your goal is to start eating breakfast, place a reminder by your alarm clock, phone, coffee maker, or another place you will see first thing in the morning.
• If your goal is to go for a walk, keep your walking shoes and/or exercise clothes laid out in plain sight. How to hold yourself accountable for your goals

6. Remove familiar items as a reminder of your new behavior

Reminders don’t just have to be things you add to your environment. They can also be things you remove from your environment.

• If your goal is to drink less coffee, remove the coffee mugs from your office and take the travel mug out of your car.
• If your goal is to eat less ice cream, get rid of your favorite ice cream dish. The next time you look for it and can’t find it, you’ll remember your goal.
• If your goal is to stop eating in bed, remove the bag of candy from your bedside table. The next time you mindlessly reach for it and it’s not there, you’ll remember your goal.

Remove things from your environment to force yourself out of the mindlessness of your long-time habits.

7. Change reminders over time

Change your reminders before they blend in and you stop noticing them.

• Start using different color post-it note reminders.
• Change the ring tone on your phone alarm reminder.
• Move your photo reminder to a different location.
• Use a different reminder entirely.

Reminders will lose their power over time. Change the look, sound, or location of your reminders before they blend into your surroundings like the other things you see, hear, or walk past on a regular basis.

 http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rules-for-goal-reminders/