(note, this is mostly from a journal entry that I then decided to port over to the experiment template, so it's a little longer and less focused than the way I normally write about an experiment)
I’m feeling pretty good about how my triathlon training has been going. I want to figure out how to bring that same energy and sense of momentum to my writing. What are the characteristics of my physical training that could possibly be replicated in my writing?
I have a very clear goal that I’m working toward. I want to do an Olympic distance race in Bumpass, VA in April. If I don’t take my training seriously then I won’t be able to finish the race and that would feel quite embarrassing and frustrating. I don’t want to go through all the effort of getting there, getting a hotel, bringing all my equipment, just to flame out on the actual day of the race.
I’m working with a coach who is both laying out a very clear program and operating as a bit of an accountability partner. I don’t have to do the work of figuring out what to do. I just need to show up and do the assigned workout each day. I know at the end of the week I have to send him a note that says how my week of training went and I really want to avoid needing to send one that says, “I did nothing this week.”
The workouts he is scheduling for me are within my ability while still pushing me to get better. I can feel my fitness improving and that’s a motivating feeling. I want more. Wanting to get more of that feeling is making it easier to get out and do my workouts and dial in my nutrition.
I’m tracking interesting data that is objectively showing me getting healthier. Each workout creates a bunch of data that gets added to the overall corpus of data I’ve been collecting from the beginning of this endeavor. I can see myself being consistent in showing up for each workout and I can see things like my heart rate, VO2 max, etc. getting better.
By diving into triathlon I’m choosing to NOT dive into a bunch of other things. By making a very clear choice about what I want to do I’m also making a very clear choice about the things I could do, but am choosing not to. This gives a real sense of focus and clarity to what needs to be done.
Get a clear goal. What is it I’m actually trying to accomplish -- and by when?
Is there a way to bring a third party coach or accountability partner into this?
Is there a way to layout my “daily workout” in a way that prevents me from needing to continuously re-litigate what I’m supposed to be doing each day?
What metrics related to my writing could I track? How can I create a sense of progress through those metrics?