Using Technology and Auntie Power to Stay the Course
Sheree Winslow is a leader and a writer and founder of WomenAtTheTables.com. As someone who has managed company operations and more than 1200 employees, she is passionate about helping women advance as leaders. She started Women At The Tables as a way to inspire and mentor women and girls who want to lead. You can connect with Sheree via email sheree@womenatthetables.com, through the Women At The Tables Facebook page or at WomenAtTheTables.com.
Two years ago, I dieted and walked off seventy pounds over a seven-month period of time. Years of long work days, no exercise, and late night dinners had taken its toll. I knew I had lost a grip on my health, but I couldn’t seem to find the motivation to stick to a better diet and exercise routine and my weight ballooned.
Then, I reunited with an old boyfriend just before New Year’s 2010 arrived and our romance was reignited. Love seemed to be just the motivation I needed. With a newfound appreciation for life, I reevaluated my habits and began thinking about the long-term benefits of living healthy. One day, I got up from the sofa and walked five miles. I did the same thing the next day. And nearly every day that followed, I either went to the gym or walked at the park near my house. Eventually, I started running and worked my way up to long distance interval training sessions lasting two to four hours. I stuck to a low carb, low fat diet, and the weight dropped. Much in love and determined to be my best self, I moved my body in a new direction.
What followed was a rollercoaster of a year that included an engagement and a breakup. I initially weathered the changes well and completed a half marathon last May, as a testament to both my internal and physical strength. But a couple more personal dramas found their way into my life, and I compensated with what I now call my “Summer of Carbs.” Twenty of the pounds I had previously lost returned.
While I am unhappy about the excess weight, the fact that I lost 70 pounds in the past reminds me that I am strong enough for the fight. So rather than continue to watch my weight increase or stay the same, I am engaged in a battle to get back to my healthy ways.
It hasn’t been as easy as it was two years ago when I was newly in love. So in a search for ways to keep myself on track and motivated, I recently asked friends for suggestions of technology tools to aid in keeping New Year’s Resolutions. What I learned also made me consider how being an auntie can also become a factor in my success.
Technology Tools To Keep You On Track
Whether you are looking to improve your health, spend more time with a hobby, or keep other resolutions, here are a few sites you may find useful.
Stickk.com is a website on which you publish a contract related to an important goal and then report regular progress. As part of the process, you increase the stakes of working toward your goal by committing to give up money if you do not meet your contract terms. Though this is an optional part of the process, the site claims that those who put money on the line have a higher degree of success. To make the stakes even more impactful, you can choose to donate money to an “anti-charity,” an organization you despise, if you do not keep to the plan. For example, if you are trying to quit smoking and believe in gun control, you can set the stakes to be a donation to the NRA Foundation if you smoke. Conversely, if you have gun rack on the back of your car and you want to exercise five times a week, you can penalize yourself if you only workout four times a week with a donation to an anti-gun foundation. You can also select a charity, friend, or foe to which the money will be directed. A “referee,” a friend you choose, is enlisted to monitor progress and keep you honest in reporting. The contract can be shared with friends to gain supporters who will cheer you toward achievement. The site has a friendly user interface and developing a commitment contract is simple.
Are you someone with a competitive spirit? Do you like visually seeing how you are progressing? Chains.cc provides a way to track progress by watching an on-screen chain grow as you keep your commitment. After recording your goal you check in each day to report how you are doing via either the website or iPhone app. Your chains can also be joined to groups with similar goals, and you can monitor yourself in comparison to others on a similar mission. I saw particular opportunity with this site for goals related to social betterment because a group can pull together individual results to track the progress they are making as a whole.
In business, when developing company plans or setting employee objectives, I have grown accustomed to using SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely goals. Wishbomb.com uses the same concept and adds in a series of options to help in attainment. During setup, you are asked to enter three key words related to your objective that allow Wishbomb.com to provide supportive articles and information. Later, when you are logged into your account profile called the GoalZone, you can click on “Articles” or “Useful Books” to find helpful content. Like the other sites, there is a social element to Wishbomb.com also. You can set group goals and see who accomplishes it first, find other people to support in achieving their goals, and invite friends to support you.
An Aunt with Intentions
Much of what makes the technology tools work is the creation of accountability by sharing goals with others. The four ideas below will help you increase your chance of success while embracing your Aunthood.
1. Share your goals with nieces and nephews.
Let your nieces and nephews know how you are working to better yourself and the plan you have to make change. By explaining what you are doing and then modeling the right behaviors, you show the young ones in your life how they can make changes when needed. Additionally, you train them to understand that change is a process while teaching them to identify the steps it will take to achieve a goal.
2. Make them your cheerleaders and referees.
Set check in calls with nieces and nephews. Let them know what successes you are having and how you are struggling. Instead of making excuses, explain how you will work to overcome struggles. Change is not easy, and transparency about how to handle hurdles can position your nieces and nephews to address adversity when it appears in their lives.
3. Involve them in your plan and enjoy the journey.
Are there ways to involve nieces and nephews in your plan to reach the goal? For example, if your resolution is to exercise more often, exercise together or spend an hour in a heated Just Dance battle. If you want to eat more healthfully, learn to cook a new light recipe together. If you are working to stop smoking, engage with them in an activity that will keep your mind off your craving. Time with nieces and nephews can help you embrace the process of change instead of fighting it.
4. Celebrate success together.
After you have been successful, enjoy time recognizing your achievement with nieces and nephews. Memory of the rewards for goal attainment can serve as a positive reminder to keep going in the future when challenges are especially tough.
Are you using technology and your Auntie-ness to keep your resolutions this year? Do you have other ideas to help Aunties stick to their plans? Let us know how you are using your Auntie power to make changes!
Published: January 16, 2013