The Metabolic Toolbox

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How to Reduce Inflammation Part 1 How to Reduce Inflammation Part 2 Anti-inflammatory Super Foods Healthy Substitutes for Ultra-Processed Foods Elimination Diets 101 Astaxanthin Protects Brain and Reduces Pain
All About Protein How Much Protein Do You Need? Why You Need Protein Seniors Need More Protein Plant Proteins Protein Foods 101 All About Fat How to Add Fat to Your Diet Saturated Fats and Heart Health Fatty Acid Chart
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Does Your Brain Need Healing How the Brain Heals Brain Regeneration Starter Kit Neurodiversity and Brain Boosting Train Your Brain Brain Boosters Part 1 Brain Boosters Part 2 Feed Your Brain Glia Cells Protect the Brain
How to Make an Action Plan How to Take Control of Your Life PTSD and cPTSD Is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) a Metabolic Disorder? Fight Depression Being Kind to Yourself is Healthy How to Stop Procrastinating Prevent Suicide How to Heal From Religious Trauma
Exercise Prevents Metabolic Syndrome Exercise Reduces Inflammation and Activates Brown Fat Exercise Prevents Fat Dysfunction What Causes Exercise Intolerance How to Beat Exercise Intolerance How to Motivate Yourself to Exercise
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How to Make an Action Plan

Make an action plan to achieve your goals or solve your problems

1) Identify what you want to do first and define your goal(s). Don't try to do too much at once. Make sure you are motivated to start this idea or this project by starting small.

2) Brainstorm solutions and ideas to complete your goals. You may want to ask trusted friends/advisors who are successful and happy at life for their advice. Don't be afraid to think outside the box.

3) Make sure your solution is achievable and measurable. It should be something that you can reasonably complete.

4) Break down what you want to to do into small steps.

5) Make a concrete plan and time line detailing when, where, and what will it cost you to do this activity.

6) Consider giving yourself an incentive or reward for successfully completing the task (if you think that will help motivate you and the task is one you do not enjoy).

Sophia L (30-something woman): "I wanted to motivate myself and focus less on perfection; so I decided to reward myself solely for my efforts not my achievements. If I plan to work 4 hours on my novel in the morning and I finish that time goal, I deserve a small reward. It could something as simple as watching a movie without guilt. It has to be something I look forwards to doing. Uncoupling effort from 'success' has enabled me to accomplish more. Now I know if I finish my writing time I can go about the rest of my day and not feel like I should be editing or reworking."

A woman writing about memories of places visited c1850 woodcut unknown artist.

Japanese fine prints, pre-1915, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Marinus van Reymerswaele - The Moneychangers 16th century oil on panel.

Marinus van Reymerswaele, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Warning: if you already enjoy an activity you may not want to add additional rewards.

For some people, adding an external reward, such as money, for an activity they already enjoy makes it feel like work. This can undermine intrinsic motivation.

Intrinsic motivation is the spontaneous tendency or motivation to learn, explore, and seek out challenges. It is driven by curiosity, pleasure, autonomy, personal sense of satisfaction, purpose, fulfillment, and other internal motivators. A strong sense of intrinsic motivation increases creative performance (discussion in Fischer et al. 2019).

There has been some recent research on the intersection of intrinsic motivation and external rewards. It is complicated but some research has indicated that transactional rewards, such as extra pay, don't influence the effect of intrinsic motivation on creativity and innovation. Relational rewards, such as individual praise, symbolic public recognition, and performance management can be synergistic with a person's intrinsic motivation in terms of enhancing creativity and innovation (Fischer et al. 2019).

Only you know if adding a reward to an activity you already like will stifle your desire to do it.

Your action plan may look like this:

☆ You are afraid you will fail an exam or interview.

Make a concrete plan to study and write down where and when you plan to study. For example: I will study in my room at the desk from 2-5 pm. Set an alarm when you study to make sure you do it for a predetermined amount of time.

Remove sources of distractions and create the ideal environment for you. If the phone is distracting place it in another room or on silent in a drawer. Figure out your idea concentration environment. I study and work with music on, my mom likes the TV as background (I hate it), and my friend uses noise canceling headphones.

☆ You are embarrassed because your house is messy.

Make a list of what part of the house bothers you the most; like the fact that slime molds are taking over the shower curtain. Put on some moving music and clean the house or part of the house starting with the areas that are the most annoying. Enlist other members of the household to help. Do not get distracted by small things - like cleaning out a closed drawer or sorting paperwork. Reward everyone with a pizza party after a day of cleaning.

Note: if you are living with a hoarder (or if you are a hoarder, or collector, of stuff) you may need a more robust action plan. See How to Stop Hoarding Stuff for more tips.

☆ You are depressed because you are talking care of 3 children who are all under five.

You have a valid reason to be overwhelmed! Brainstorm and find solutions to give you some time to yourself. Do you have money for a baby-sitter or drop in day care? Is there a trusted relative who would help you out? Can a parent friend and you trade baby-sitting to both get time to yourself? Is there a gym that offers kiddie sitting while you work out? Contact these people and make a concrete plan with dates and times.

☆ You need to complete a large project or paper.

Write down the steps you need to take in small manageable time bites. Do the steps one at a time and cross them off. If you have a time deadline take that into account. Reward yourself with a fun day out after your project is complete.

☆ You hate your job.

Break down what you need to find a new job. Some suggestions include update resume, check social media for questionable posts, find suitable interview outfit (depending on field), and start saving emergency money.

Check out Ask A Manager for excellent free job advice and examples of resumes, cover letters and interviewing tips. I am not associated with this website; I just feel they do a wonderful job.

☆ You have no money or you owe a lot of money.

Don't stick your head in the sand about finances or money. You need to be aware of it and to learn about it. I know having no money sucks from personal experience; but do you know what sucks more? Getting yourself in debt by not being aware of your finances and/or spending your money in stupid or self destructive ways. Look at all the people trying to sell their junk at 10% the price they bought it at because they need money to pay the rent.

Financial literacy is the ability to understand and use financial skills. You need to know your situation to fix it. Sticking your head in the sand will not help you in the long run. There are many free online videos and websites to help you learn to manage your money better. One of the first things you should do is learn how to budget your money. This is making a plan for every dollar.

Remember: people get into trouble when they spend more than they make.

Here are some resources to check out: Investopedia: the Ultimate Guide to Financial Education and the Motley Fool Money Personal Finances.

What is Planfulness?

Planfulness is a set of typical behaviors influencing how people interact and engage with their goals (Ludwig et al. 2018). People with high degrees of planfulness tend to make reasonable goals for their future and show steady progress towards achieving them.

Higher planfulness in college students (174 people, average age 23, 3/4 women) during the pandemic predicted lower stress,lower goal-disruption, and higher well-being. Students with higher levels of planfulness had lower stress and higher psychological well-being when compared to less planful students (Ameden et al. 2024).

Check out this 5 minute online test from MySocialBrain to see your planfulness score.

Boy with book by Susan Fluegel

*Names and some minor identifying details in all stories in this website are changed to protect people's privacy

I'm not your doctor so this is not medical information. I'm just a person who would like to see you happy and healthy. If you have any questions or concerns about starting an exercise regiment, diet program, or supplements please consult a professional.

References:

Ameden WC, Tricomi E, Heintzelman SJ. The role of planfulness for well-being, stress, and goal disruption during COVID-19. Front Psychol. 2024 Feb 8;15:1224451. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1224451. Full article.

Fischer C, Malycha CP, Schafmann E. The Influence of Intrinsic Motivation and Synergistic Extrinsic Motivators on Creativity and Innovation. Front Psychol. 2019 Feb 4;10:137. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00137. Full article.

Ludwig RM, Srivastava S, Berkman ET. Predicting Exercise With a Personality Facet: Planfulness and Goal Achievement. Psychol Sci. 2019 Oct;30(10):1510-1521. doi: 10.1177/0956797619868812. Full article.