I messed up! But it wasn't a complete disaster.

This week I messed up! It wasn't a big thing - but it was. On Sunday instead of spending an hour or two doing my usual planning and meal prep, I got side-tracked, the day seemed to disappear and then it was too late, I was tired and I watched the rest of a film I hadn't finished and went to bed. It wasn't an unproductive day at all, but I hadn't prioritised planning and preparing my meals. On Monday I felt like I was starting the week on the back foot. I had no meals prepped and I had a busy week ahead.

So this week has felt a bit more manic than it should have done. I've been winging it all week when it comes to meals. Luckily I have a good understanding of foods that I can grab quickly that are still in line with my goals (and the 75 Hard Challenge!). But what if I didn't have the experience and knowledge to wing it and stay on track?

Proper planning and preparation prevents piss poor performance!

One of the biggest reasons that people fail to reach their goals is due to a lack of planning. Life is busy and we get pulled in many different directions throughout the week. We become reactive rather than proactive. Having an effective plan means less work over time.

Planning applies to work, nutrition, exercise, holidays and downtime in equal measure. Failing to plan hinders progress.

If you're tired and hungry when you get in from work and you have no meal planned or prepped, your far more likely to call for a takeaway or chuck a pizza in the oven. With a bit of planning, you could have a bag of stir-fry, some chicken strips and microwave rice ready to prep in 10 minutes. Planning removes the wiggle room for error.

Planning is a skill

Planning is a skill to learn just like any other. It takes time at first, but the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Each week, prioritise what is important to you and plan it in you diary. Write down your intentions. My diary has each day planned out to include work jobs, training and home jobs. I tick each one off as I've done it. My meal plan is often just scrawled on a scrap of paper and stuck on the fridge.

Plan your nutrition

Write down your weekly meal plan. I recommend finding a couple of tasty 'go-to' meals that you can prep in advance. Be realistic with your time and expectations. Have you really got the time or energy to spend an hour in the kitchen on a Tuesday night after work? Write down a couple of quick and easy prep in 10 meals. The plan doesn't need to be perfect but it needs to work for you.

If your budget allows it, Gousto and Hello Fresh (there are others!) are a great option as everything is supplied ready to cook so it takes the stress out of the "what's for tea?" question! The recipes are easy to follow so if you have other people that live with you, you could even delegate the cooking job to them!

Plan your training/exercise

When it comes to exercise rather than just saying, "this week I need to exercise more" - be specific and realistic. A couple of examples could be, "every Tuesday and Thursday I will put my gym gear in the car and go straight to the gym after work at 6.15pm". Or "every day I'll set my alarm half an hour earlier and I'll start the day with a 30 minute walk". Put this in your diary ahead of time, just as you would a work meeting or a coffee with a friend.

Plans change. Curve balls are thrown in, deadlines are moved, people cancel meetings - that's life! Having a plan actually makes us more resilient when these things happen. But if we don't have a plan and a roadmap, when these curveballs happen we're even less likely to move in the direction we want to go.

Remember the 3 P's for success:

We need to take action and have the right systems in place for success and it takes work!

Prioritise what's important to you.

Plan how and when.

Prepare to implement the plan.

Two questions for you:

- When was the last time you planned your meals and exercise?

- Are your current systems serving you well?