The TIME Equation
Results - Forget about them!
Yes, I know Results are part of the equation, and it's at the front of it! However, as you will see, I'd like you to forget the results completely. "What results can I expect" and "When can I expect them by" are some of my most common questions. Don't get me wrong; I get it; it is human nature to want to understand what to expect and when about anything they undertake.
Bad news
However, unfortunately - and sorry to be the one to break the news. The honest answer is I have absolutely no idea. I also feel so strongly about this that if anyone thinks they can give you a precise answer - They are lying!! It's impossible to know as too many variables are at play. The biggest, most impactful one is that you are like no one else on the planet (and there are over 8 billion others).
You have different genes, mentality, psychology and ability. Not only that, but you are also operating within a different life with other responsibilities, obligations and environment than everyone else. There is also your starting position which will be vastly different to everyone else; your body fat, weight, resting heart rate, cholesterol, previous training history etc.
24 hours in a day
A good way I like to bring this to life is with a well-known saying that also manages to stir up a fantastic amount of controversy and emotion in many people "Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day" Now, technically, one aspect of this is true, everyone does have 24 hours in a day. However, I disagree that everyone has the same 24 hours a day.
Parents, single parents, carers, those working multiple jobs, those with disabilities, and even whether you own a car will impact this; the list is endless……. No one has the same 24 hours a day, and explicitly expressing otherwise demonstrates a complete lack of EQ.
Then on top of all this, there are the events that WILL come out of nowhere and try to derail you. For example, illness, injury, sick family members, boiler breakdown, etc., With all this in mind, you can appreciate why it is impossible to give a precise answer.
Instead, focus on something else which will 100% guarantee you not only achieve your best but also in record time (specific to you). And that is an equation.
The TIME Equation
Results = (Why × Consistency) - Non-Negotiables
So let's break this down:
- Results: This is precisely what it says on the tin. This is the outcome, the reward, the thing you will receive as a direct correlation to the work and effort you put in. However, as already stated, you must forget about this. You can't impact or influence any result by focusing on or thinking of the result. The rest of the equation will only determine the result, so forget about it and put all your Time, energy and effort into the rest, which is where the magic happens.
- Why: As you can see from my pyramid/ hierarchy, this is the bedrock of the equation; this is arguably the most important one. Most people would consider this the goal, but it's not; it's bigger than a goal. Let me try and define it for you; a goal is something you set that is time-bound. It is usually metric-driven and binary; you either achieve it or not, pass or fail, succeed or fall short. It can be anything from running a sub-5-minute mile to climbing Mount Everest.
the flaws
Don't get me wrong, goals are ace; I have them, but there are three fundamental flaws with having a goal and not a WHY in this equation:
When I think back to any time I have ever had a goal, it has proved immensely powerful for me, and I am very focused, driven, and obsessive (even OCD) to achieve it. What on earth can be wrong with that, I hear you say. Well, the problem for me, and I have also found for the vast majority of other people, is that once that goal is achieved, the thing that almost always follows is regress. Don't get me wrong; I'm so proud of some of the fantastic things I've achieved which I set goals for. The problem comes after they are completed, as progress usually stops; even worse, it regresses.
The other thing that has become obvious for me during those goals is that they are almost all binary, as the vast majority are metric-driven (achieve a time, hit a number etc.). Therefore they can also be very black and white - you either fail or succeed, but what if I was going for a sub-40-minute 10k run and I achieved 40.02 on a wet, windy day? Is that classed as a failure? Would I feel happy or sad?
When/ if the goal is achieved, the ecstatic feeling is brilliant, and a sense of pride and bragging rights ensue. However, how long does that feeling last - not very long in my experience, maybe a week at most. Unless you can quickly identify another decisive goal, it's back to a sense and feeling of normality and quite often an empty feeling.
Instead, this needs to be a WHY; a why is perpetual; it is a purpose and is immune to the weather, holidays, events, etc. I spend a lot of time on this with my clients - and you should too.
Consistency:
Think about this as the inputs and things you have within your control. The material things that you have to do every day. This is the training you do, the foods you eat, the rest you take - effectively, the rest of my pyramid/ methodology. This is detailed in the equation as consistency, not inputs, actions, etc. because consistency is the key; you must do these things daily. Think 80% minimum.
The beautiful and magical thing about this is that it is all within your control. This is simply down to you and no one else.
Non-Negotiables:
Think of this as the reality of life, acknowledging the environment you are operating in, the specific 24 hours in your life. These are also the things that you need to make sure you are balancing a full and rounded 360° wellness (health, mental and financial), including but not limited to:
Work commitments
School commitments
Kids commitments
Socialising
Charity/ giving back commitments
Family commitments
Etc
These are all specific to you; you must be honest, open and realistic about them. However, let's also be clear these are not the things that you think you 'enjoy' but have contributed to you being in your current place:
Binge drinking every weekend
Takeaway food multiple times a week
Staying up till midnight each night
Etc
Building your plan
Once you have spent time on each of these, you will be able to build the perfect plan specific to you, YOURS. Could you bear with me here, assuming everyone has heard of SMART goals? Making sure a goal is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timed. Well, as I've already mentioned, this is not a goal; it's a WHY. So I've come up with another acronym for your WHY, which is YOURS:
Yells: It's that powerful for you; it doesn't just speak to you. It yells at you. It has a tremendous level of importance to you. It's a bulldozer that kicks the shit out of all those obstacles that you will inevitably encounter.
Objective: It provides quantifiable metrics to achieve, leaving very little to subjectivity. You're calories/ macro split, training sessions, rest, sleep, water etc., are all defined.
Unique: It's specific to you, yours and only yours. As amazingly powerful as it is for you, it wouldn't work half as well for anyone else on the planet.
Results: If you follow it, it will deliver you results, and the level of results will be in direct comparison to the effort put in
Scientific: It's based on scientifically proven research and peer-reviewed studies. There are no magic pills, shortcuts or quick fixes. Instead, there is science and hardware work.
Finally, you can group the Why, Consistency & Non-Negotiables, and they become your journey.
I'd bet the journey was far better
Think back to any goal you've set and achieved in life. As impressive as it would have felt to achieve the goal if you stop and think about it, I'd bet the journey was far better; more enjoyable, challenging, self-fulfilling, and ultimately the more focus and attention given to the journey (the inputs), the easier it was to achieve the goal (the output). For example, I want to raise my kids to be amazing humans. Paradoxically that's something I want to achieve but, ironically, at the same time, something I never want to achieve. As I never want the journey towards it to end. The fun, joy, challenge, pain, tears, laughter, and learning are all found and enjoyed in the inputs, not the output.
There you have it, your TIME equation.
