5 year plans don't work. Here's how to build a routine that actually helps you achieve your goals with Dr Rangan Chatterjee | Future Self Series Ep.3

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2:14What is up? I'm Grace Beverly and welcome back to Working Hard, the podcast shared guidebook on how to improve your own life and achieve what you actually dreamed of doing. Because life's too short for boring podcasts and bad advice. What is up guys and welcome back to Working Hard. If you have been following this series so far, you will know that we are coming to the end of part one, where we've been getting really, really clear on what your ideal life, like the one you are working towards, actually looks like and what your plan looks like in order to be able to get there. So today we're going to be moving into the mechanics of how to build routine and a plan that actually works or in fact how to build any plan with a specific long-term horizon.

2:52Long-term plans couldn't actually be quite controversial and when we were planning this episode I was a little hesitant to give a number on how long I think you should plan ahead when you're reverse engineering your life because I think it's so personal to everyone. For some people a five-year plan is the perfect timeline to look ahead and for others it is far too long and there are far too many variables for it to actually make sense. So essentially that dichotomy is exactly what today's episode is about and the person I wanted to bring in to talk about this is someone who can hold the nuance of it and still give you a great actionable answer.

3:22Like we can all poo-poo the five-year plan as much as we want but what should we actually be doing? How do we build a plan to build our ideal life? Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is one of the most influential doctors in the UK and he's dedicated his career to working out how we actually live well. So what he's going to do in this episode is he's going to walk us through why most five-year plans don't work. So the specific traps people fall into and then also the practical mechanics of reverse engineering a vision, that vision that we've kind of developed, all the way back to what you actually do this week because I think that is so important.

3:53And as always with these episodes, Rangan has given me his top planning frameworks for your homework for the Working Hard newsletter this week. So that means you can actually action what we talked about in this episode in a very practical way so that you know you're actually learning things. You're not just listening to them on your commute and never coming back to it again and again because we like to create actual change over on this side of the internet. So I'll put the link for the newsletter in the description box. I hope you enjoy making the plan for that ideal life that you will be very much achieving once you put this all into action.

4:19And I'll leave you with Dr. Rung and Chatterjee.

4:25So there are some really common mistakes that people make when it comes to planning out their lives. And this episode is for anyone looking to reverse engineer their future, but in a healthy, balanced way without the overlap and burnouts. So why might you want to listen to me? Well of course Grace gave me a really lovely intro but the thing I want to sort of focus on is the fact that I have been a medical doctor for over 25 years now. I have seen tens of thousands of patients over the course of my career. My podcast has been going for over nine years. I've spoken to some of the most influential voices around the world when it comes to health, happiness, mindset, longevity, productivity, whatever you might want.

5:09And I've helped many people change their lives, not just in the short term, but for good. So I feel I have a lot of experience trying to do this with people. And that experience is what I'm hoping to offer you today. If you have ever made a plan that you were genuinely excited about, but then found that you were unable to stick to it, this is the episode for you. Okay, so as Grace mentioned at the start, should we even be making five-year plans? Well, I think that's something for us all to reflect on. I mean, for me, I would say possibly not. I think it's perhaps a little bit too far away in the future, but I also have to acknowledge that for some people it seems to work, okay?

5:54And that's the kind of nuance I hope you get from me throughout this episode, I don't believe in one-size-fits-all approaches because having seen so many patients over the years, I've realized that there's no one right approach that works for everyone. So let's assume that you do want to make a plan for your future, whether it be a one-year plan or a five-year plan or even a 10-year plan, I would say that the same principles apply. Okay, so first of all, have a think about what you want your plan to relate to. Is it your health, your well-being, is it your mindset, your relationships, your career?

6:34Is it to get your hobbies into your life in a much more sustainable way? You know, whatever it is, that's up to you. But these core principles I'm going to go through work no matter what the topic is, okay? So let me start off with these traps that I have seen many people fall into and truth be told, I've fallen into myself in the past, okay? Number one, they plan too far ahead, right? Let's say you made a five-year plan. Here's the potential issue. You don't know who you're going to be in five years, right? I know that sounds quite obvious but through life, with each day, week, month and year, we start to change.

7:12As you try and put a plan into action, in doing the actions that you said you were going to do, you start to change as a person. So one of the traps is they plan too far ahead and they get very, very rigid as to sticking to a plan that they made. But one year into your five-year plan, you might realize that, oh, maybe what I want is different now. And that goes into my second trap which is we're too rigid right as I just mentioned we make the plan based on what we think we want at this current moment in time and then we just we know we have to stick to it because I said that's what I was going to do but any plan for any goal in your life needs constant reassessment and tweaking okay so these first two traps kind of relate to each other we plan too far ahead and then we get too rigid.

8:03The third trap I often see people fall into is that they are overly reliant on motivation. Now motivation does not last. In fact you potentially could fall into that after this episode. On the assumption that you like what I have to say, that you find it inspiring and you think yeah I'm going to go and do this, your motivation at the end of this episode may be actually quite high. And so you make your plan based on high levels of motivation. But we know from the scientific research that motivation goes up and motivation goes down. So you actually have to plan for the fact that your motivation will drop.

8:42And when I talk about the practical things that you can do, I'll cover this in a bit more detail. But for now, the third trap is that we're often overly reliant on motivation. The fourth trap is an all or nothing mindset. Certainly in my job as a doctor. I've seen this when it comes to health so many times, particularly in January. You may have experienced this yourself as well. This idea that I'm either on the plan or I'm not on the plan. This sort of black and white thinking. So often I would see this and I used to do this first two weeks in January. I'd be locked in and what I wanted to do doing every day.

9:16Then I'd miss a day and I beat myself up. The negative inner voice would start in the past. and before I knew it, the plan was something that I used to do. Okay, so this all or nothing mindset is something you really need to get away from because no plan really works like that because life will get in the way and that's okay but we need to plan for that. And the fifth and final trap I wanted to mention before I get into what you can actually do is the fact that we're too focused often on the outcome. Okay, we're too focused on the future and that takes us out of the present. But you're only ever in the present, right?

9:56You're planning something for the future, but the future only currently exists in your mind. This is a really, really important point and it will become quite clear when we get to the practical application very shortly. But the way I see goals now, really the goal is there to be a compass. It points you in the right direction, right? So you're coming into this episode and you're thinking about a plan that you want in your life for a particular goal. Okay, let's think about that. Think about it. Imagine what it is. And then you've got to put the goal out of your mind and start to focus on the process.

10:34And honestly, this is what the best athletes in the world will do. this is what people who make sustainable health change will do this is how I live my life these days honestly I used to be very goal focused very outcome focused and I realized it didn't really help me and these days I find it very very easy to lock into the behaviors that I want whether it's on my health my mindset my career because I'm not focused on the outcome in the future I'm focused on the daily habits that I need to do that if I do them consistently will result in the side effect of the outcome or goal. Okay, so what can we do to avoid these traps?

11:13Well, here's a framework that I use myself and have used successfully with many people over the course of my career. And the first thing I want you to think about is what is it that you want? What is it that you really want? Okay, have a think about that for a moment. Is this five-year plan or this one-year plan? Is it for your mood, your physical health, your mindsets, to improve your relationships? It doesn't matter because as I mentioned right at the start of this episode, the principles of what we need to do to make change in our lives are actually very, very similar. Let's not get blindsided by the end goal, right?

11:52Whether it's your health, mindset or relationships, doesn't matter. These principles will still apply, okay? So now that you've thought about what you want, The second thing I want you to think about is why do you want it? This is something people often forget about You know in my career as a doctor the amount of people who came in in january wanting to lose weight I just focus on I want to lose weight doc. What should I do? But if you don't think about why you really want that You may stick to stuff for a few weeks, maybe a few months But it will fall away because you've got to connect the what to the why Let's look at that through the lens of weight loss for example one of my patients, it would be, well, actually, you know what?

12:33I'm tired of not having enough energy or when my family want to go for a walk, I'm the one who has to stop and sit down because I'm carrying too much weight or whatever it might be. If you can connect to that or really think about that, it's much more likely on those tough days when your motivation drops, as I've already talked about, that you're going to stick to the plan because you've connected the what with the why. So have a think about why you actually want that goal, you know. Is it because you like the attention you'll get when you've reached that goal? Do you think it will say something about who you are when you get that goal?

13:07Again, for the purpose of this episode, I don't want to go too deep into that because we can explore that in a variety of different ways. Sometimes actually the things that we think we want, we don't really want, but we often don't realize it until we get there. That's perhaps for a different episode. But for the purpose of this one, I really want you to think about why you want that goal. And you might be out for a walk now or doing something else, that's fine. But maybe later on, sit with a journal or a piece of paper and write it down, right? Sometimes writing is the best way to process our thoughts.

13:40I do that regularly. When I'm not clear on something, I'll start writing it out and the clarity comes often through the writing.

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15:58The third thing I want you to think about is about really being focused on the process. Okay, I've already touched on this in the final trap, right? We're often too outcome focused, right? What is the outcome that you think you want? Okay, keep that in mind. That's the compass. that's the direction you want to travel in now almost forget about that and let's think about on a daily basis or a weekly basis what do you need to do that all things being well will get you to that outcome it's a subtle difference but it's arguably the most important thing I have to say in this episode okay what is the process focus on the process not the goal focus on the journey not the outcome that is honestly the best way to make change in your life and I want to give you an example from health right something that I do myself something that I've used with many patients and there are these three rules that I often talk about when it comes to behavior change okay one make it easy to stick on your desired behavior onto an existing habit and three have your environment support your desired behavior.

17:11This is really, really important and it takes us away from outcome and into process. Okay, so let's say I wanted to improve my health and well-being, right? And let's say I decided that I wanted to bring some more movement into my life, okay? And this is real because this is what I've been doing for many years now. I decided a few years ago that strength training was going to be really important for me. It's something I wanted to do, that I enjoyed, but I wanted to find a way to make it sustainable. Okay, so the goal is I want to be a person who strength trains. Why? Because if I strength train regularly, I'm going to have more energy.

17:49I'm going to be safeguarding my health from problems in the future. I'm going to like the look of my body more, whatever it might be. I think we can be honest about these things sometimes, right? But for whatever reason, these are the things that I want. If I'm focused on the outcome, I'm not going to get there. But what I focus on is, well, what can I do? And so every single morning for I think seven years now or so, I do a five minute strength workout in my kitchen and I rarely miss a day. Why? Because I follow the three rules of behavior change. Number one, I make it easy. My workout is only five minutes.

18:25If I said to myself I was going to do 30 minutes a day, well, maybe I wouldn't be doing it. But five minutes is very, very achievable. So I do, I can never say I don't have enough time because if I did say that, I'd just frankly be lying to myself. I do have five minutes every day, okay? So that's rule number one. Rule number two, stick on your desired behavior onto an existing habit. What is a habit? A habit is an automatic behavior that you do without any conscious thoughts, okay? So one of my morning habits is I have coffee. It's something I really enjoy. I get up early before my wife and kids, I make coffee in the kitchen just the way I like it and it brews for five minutes.

19:04In those five minutes, I don't go on YouTube, I don't go on Instagram, I don't go on my emails. I do a strength workout in my pajamas in my kitchen. That's how easy I make it, okay? So the automatic behavior is the coffee, right? I don't need a reminder on my phone to make coffee or to check my calendar. You know, that's happening. That's a habit. So if I stick on my workouts, which is my new desired behavior onto the habit of coffee, it happens. Those things start to work in harmony with each other. And then the third rule is I have my environment support my desired behavior. So what does that mean?

19:43Well, for me, it means that in my kitchen, there is a kettlebell and a dumbbell that lives in the corner seven days a week. Why? Because it means that I'm being visually triggered by that kettlebell every time I walk into the kitchen. So this process focused approach, five minutes of strength workouts every day is super easy. I go into my kitchen, I make my coffee with a coffee brews in my pajamas. I don't have to put on my latest workout gear or anything. I've kept it so easy. Pick up my kettlebell, throw it around a bit, do some swings, do all sorts of stuff. I used to do bodyweight exercises.

20:19Now I use the kettlebell. And because the kettlebell is in my kitchen and not in my garage or my car or another room, everything around me is supporting what I want to happen. So I explain those three rules through the lens of health, right? And perhaps your plan is to do with health. If it is, you can borrow any of that if you think it's going to be useful for you. And the point there is that it's not about the strength workout. That may not be what you want to do. You might want to journal or meditate or do some breath work or, you know, engage in a hobby. It doesn't really matter. But I can promise you, because I've experienced myself and I've seen it with tens of thousands of patients, if you apply those three rules or principles, it's much more likely that you're going to stick to things.

21:05Okay, so again, I keep emphasizing this point because it's really important. Maybe your plan is currently about your career. Okay, fine. No problem. So let's have a think about that, right? What is the process that you need to do regularly that will lead to that outcome in your career that you want? Okay, so these three rules really, really important and I can pretty much guarantee if you try and apply them you're going to have some degree of success in your life. The other thing I want to mention which really speaks to that trap I mentioned at the start, this all or nothing trap, right? I want you to balance discipline with compassion.

21:43Okay, life will often get in the way, right? And you have to just accept that. You can listen to this episode, you can follow all my advice if you choose to and make a plan that's really focused on the process and not the outcome. And then you know what? You might get sick. Your partner may need you. If you're someone who has children, you may find that they're really busy and that you don't have time. That's okay. That's life. okay what I try and do with my five minute strength workout is never miss two days in a row so sure the odd day for whatever reason I won't end up doing it and the older version of me or I should say the younger version of me would have beaten myself up no I don't now I'm a lot more kinder to myself I'm like yeah okay for whatever reason you didn't do it you were tired you didn't sleep well whatever it might be okay let's not make it two days in a row because if I do that's the start of a new habit and it's not the habit I want.

22:36Okay so balance discipline with compassion I think is something for you guys to think about. And the other thing I really want to speak to in this episode before we end is this idea of regular reflection. I don't think we do this enough in society. Okay and it speaks to what I said right at the start. Okay about that trap that it's too far in the future. We don't know who we're going to be in five years. So how do we know that the plan we make today is the plan that the five-year-older version of me actually really wants. And the truth is you don't. And there's no way of knowing. We're so obsessed with control and certainty about the future without acknowledging that nothing is certain in the future.

23:18Okay, that's one of the beautiful things about life. We don't know what's going to happen, right? So the way around it for me is to regularly reflect. You can do this every night, once a week maybe on a Sunday that's a day off once per month and the questions I use for I do this most nights I ask myself these two questions I say what went well today and what can I do differently tomorrow with respect to this plan that you want to try and reverse engineer in your life regular reflection is really important and you can borrow those two questions you can use them if you want or you can tweak them you know is the plan working for me maybe once a month it will be, do I think this is still the right plan for what I want?

24:00Because then you've got this flexibility. Today, you make the plan. You focus on the practical application. You think it's what you want and that's great, so you do it. But maybe one month in or two months in, you might want to tweak it. You might go, actually, you know what? Actually, I've learned through this process that I actually want something a little bit different. That's completely okay. Do not get too rigid. and the final thing I want to say kind of relates to that. We're all going into this because we want to succeed in our plan but here's something perhaps you weren't expecting to hear from me.

24:33Even if you don't end up where you wanted to go it doesn't matter. It's not failure at all, it's education. This is a key mindset shift that you can make that will help you yes for this plan but frankly for every single aspect of your life. We can't control outcomes. Things will happen. Instead of being a victim to the external world and what happens, which many people, if not most people are, I can't believe I failed again. Yeah, stupid me. You know, I just didn't try. I didn't want it enough. I didn't try hard enough. This negative self-talk will not help you. I promise. I had it for many years.

25:12I've let go of it and I'm way more able to achieve my goals and what I want now that I have a much kinder relationship with myself. Even if you don't make the plan, you don't reach the plan in the way you think you want to today, you will learn stuff about yourself along the way. It's really about that mindset choice. Are we going to be a victim to life or the architect of our lives? And I tell you, I've been a parent for 16, 16 and a half years now. And one of the key things I try and teach my children is that Whenever something happens that perhaps wasn't what they wanted, I say, well, what's the upside of the situation?

25:54What have you learned from that situation that you would not have learned had that situation not happened? And so yes, I want you to get to your plan and meet your goals for sure. But if you don't, don't worry. And perhaps it was the wrong goal in the first place. So guys, I really hope you enjoyed that episode. I hope you found it useful. If you want to learn a bit more about the way I think about these things, including an amazing practical exercise that will improve your happiness levels and therefore make it more likely that you'll achieve your plan, check out my latest book. I've written six books.

26:28This is my latest Happy Mind, Happy Life. It's a number one Sunday Times bestseller and it's 10 simple ways to feel great every day. And if you're interested in watching me on tour, I often do these live interactive shows. And this autumn I'm doing seven dates around the world Canada in September and five European dates including London and Dublin in November all you have to do is go to my website drchatterjee.com forward slash tour that's episode three now complete from me Grace I hope you're having a wonderful maternity leave thank you so much for inviting me to be your substitute teacher and I'll see you all very soon right I'm back again and I hope you really loved that episode with Dr.

27:09Rangan. I feel like so much of that is almost maybe what we don't want to hear about putting things into action because you get such a dopamine hit from having the goals and setting the goals, but actually feeding that through into your daily life. It's just, it's a little bit less fun, isn't it? But that is literally the difference between you reaching those goals versus just you having like a vague wish to be able to reach them one day. So a huge thank you to him for contributing to today's episode and such a massive thank you to you for listening and supporting my podcast during maternity leave.

27:38As always, we will be breaking down the main parts of the episode over on the Working Hard Instagram this week. Otherwise, I will see you next week where we are going to be talking about exactly what the you in your 40s wishes you'd done in your 20s and 30s in order to be the healthiest version of yourself possible to be able to reach these goals.

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