Big dreams are achieved through many small steps.

6 Steps to success:

Step 1: Set your goal

Step 2: Choose a routine that is achievable and fits your current situation (you can find a lot of routines / processes for achieving most things online so for now just pick one, don’t bother trying to find “the best one”).

Step 3: If required, customise the process to be very specific to you

Step 4: Rework your schedule around the process you need to follow

Step 5: Map out your daily plan

Step 6: Follow the process

Repeat from step 3 as required as you will learn things about yourself and what works best for you along the way.

Remember that life is like a marathon, not a sprint. The idea is for your daily plan to become a habit that you build on.

Example:
Step 1: Set your goal:
Let’s say your goal is to “get healthier” and for you that means being able to run 5Km without stopping.

Goal: Run 5Km without stopping

Step 2: Choose an achievable routine:
There are loads of routines on the internet about running 5Km so use these for inspiration or just pick one to start with and get going with it. Say one routine recommends running 500m, 4 times a week and increasing the distance by 10% each week. (this would get you to running 5Km in under 25 weeks).

Routine: Run 500m, 4 times a week and increase distance by 10% each week

Step 3: Customize the routine to suit you:
Say at the moment you can run 300m and you can do about 3 times a week. Start there and if you feel you can increase your distance by more than 10% each week then do that.

New routine: Run 300m, 3 times a week and increase distance by 100m per week for first 3 weeks, then move to 10% weekly increase.

Step 4: Rework your schedule around this new routine.
Put yourself in the best position for success here. If you know the best time for you to run is in the evening then make time for the run and if you have to take time away from cooking that evening then meal prep in advance by making extra the day before.

New schedule: Run immediately when back from work and meal prep the day before running day.

Step 5: Map out daily plan
Use all of the previous steps in to what you are going to do each day to help you achieve your runs.

Run 3 times a week starting with 300m each run, increasing by 100m each week until reaching 500m and then increase by 10% each week from there. Run on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Meal prep on Sunday, Tuesday and Saturday.

Step 6: Make sure you follow that process
This might mean that you need to sit down and prepare a little bit in advance to make it all happen but this is a small price to pay for you to achieve your goal.

The table below illustrates your weekly plan based on the above conditions. By following that plan you will reach 5Km in 25 weeks.

This routine will be based on how far you can currently run, and how many days you can currently run each week. This could be as little as once a week but you will progress and create your running habit faster if you can make it 2 to 4 times a week.

If you can currently run 5K but you have no running experience, then you might consider doing 15 mins of running, 3 to 4 times a week to start with. The habit you create is getting up, putting on your running gear and going out 3 to 4 times a week to run. Once you do that, you can then plan to increase either time or distance run on those running days (say increasing it by several mins a week).