A second objective is to get myself fit again but , as with the previous example , “ Get fit ” is a lousy objective in itself . A better , more specific objective would be “ Run a marathon in February ,” as this provides a quantifiable outcome for my increased fitness level and aligns to my vision . However , an even better objective would be “ Run a marathon in under 5 hours by 6 March so that I can qualify for Two Oceans .”
Objective 2
Get Fit .
Run a marathon in February .
Run a marathon in under 5 hours by 6 March so that I can qualify for Two Oceans .
Late race thirst was averted in the Meerkat Marathon by the Namibia Breweries refreshment table
theme . Before we head into writing the objectives , here ’ s my local context …
• After some analysis and introspection , I realised that I needed to lose some weight .
• I have also been struggling with a long-term neural knee injury , and dropping some excess baggage would definitely reduce the wear and tear on my knee .
• Although I did initially drop some of my COVID kilograms , I was stagnating in spite of exercising as much as my dodgy knee would allow .
• I am itching to get back into running marathons again – pre-COVID , I usually ran a marathon a weekend – but also want to be ‘ sensible ’ so as not to cause any long-term damage . ( Sidenote : A sensible marathon runner is a good example of an oxymoron !)
• My favourite ultra-marathon is the Two Oceans 56km , and that requires running a qualification marathon in under five hours before the 6th of March .
• I am an incredibly consistent beer-drinker and have an impressive track record of two to three beers an evening for the last two decades .
• When people ask me , “ Why do you run ?” my standard response is , “ So that I can eat and drink whatever I like !” Since I was no longer running as much as before , I would need to adjust my consumption intake .
Writing Great Objectives
Now , let ’ s focus on deriving three quarterly objectives from the above . Firstly , I need to “ Lose weight ,” but that in itself is not a good objective . If I lose 100 grams , technically I could claim success , but my black pants would tell me otherwise . I should therefore work in a specific measure , like “ Lose 5 kilograms by March .” However , there is still room for improvement by clarifying the ‘ why .’ The simplest way to do this is to add a “ so that ” to the objective statement , leaving us with a final objective of , “ Lose 5 kilograms by March so that I can fit into my smart black pants again .”
The next objective was the toughest to implement , and still causes substantial pain and mental anguish to write about . If I wanted to shift my waistline , I would have to drink less beer . I therefore took the drastic step of deciding to only drink beer on the weekend . By now , you should know that “ Drink less beer ” would not be an acceptable objective , and while “ Only drink beer on the weekend ” is better , it is still missing the “ so that .” In my case , I was able to tie it all together with , “ Only drink beer on the weekend so that I can lose weight and fit into my smart black pants again .”
Sidenote : I chatted to a colleague of mine about my ‘ no alcohol in the week ’ objective , and she has a different but perhaps superior method of sensibly controlling alcoholic calorie intake . She has a weekly alcohol allowance , which she finds results in less ‘ bingeing ’ than with a weekend only restriction .
Drink less beer .
Objective 3
Only drink beer on the weekend ( and during meetups )
Only drink beer on the weekend ( and during meetups ) so that I can lose weight and fit into my smart black pants again .
A cooling beer during the Two Oceans Marathon
Objective 1
Lose weight .
Lose 5 kilograms by March .
Lose 5 kilograms by March so that I can fit into my smart black pants again .
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