As a fitness professional, you know how important habits are when it comes to your clients’ success. You know the importance of consistency and stepping out of your comfort zone to create lasting change. But are you focusing on creating solid habits that will support you in your business? Are you doing the things that will help you continue to show up and be of service to your clients so you can continue to make the impact you want to make?

So many trainers get caught up in working in the business—training clients, writing programs—that they end up not having the time to work on the business. Most people think working on the business includes things like marketing and planning for long-term growth. And while I agree, I also believe an integral part of working on your business is working on yourself: taking care of yourself so you have the energy to support your clients, letting go of the limiting beliefs that hold you back from reaching your full potential, and getting your mindset in a space that’s conducive to dreaming big are all essential aspects of a successful business!

Oftentimes, this work requires you to step out of your comfort zone by setting boundaries around when you will and won’t take clients, facing the parts of yourself you’ve been avoiding, and letting go of the “what if…” thoughts as you dream your wildest business dreams. Which means that many of the same strategies you employ to help your clients set habits outside of their comfort zones will support you as you do the same.

Ready to get into the habit of growing your business and yourself? Grab a pen and paper and follow along with the prompts below.

Begin by asking yourself:

“What are my productive habits?”

“What are my sabotaging habits?”

You likely already have habits built into your growth journey; it’s just a matter of whether they’re serving you or not! To give you an example of what these habits might look like, within my business development I know my productive habits are planning the day’s tasks ahead of time, making sure I meditate or practice breathwork before diving into work, and putting in the time and energy to build genuine connections every week. When I do these things, they help me stay focused, grounded, and moving towards my impact goals.

My sabotaging habits? Staying up too late, checking my emails and not responding right away, and not always writing down a new task as soon as it pops into my head. These habits leave me feeling flustered and forgetful (and not to mention feeling down on myself when I realize I’ve failed to respond to yet another email!). 

We can’t change or emphasize what we aren’t aware of, so getting clear on your productive and sabotaging habits is a key first step. 

Next, ask yourself:

“What is a sabotaging habit I would like to eliminate? How can I set myself up for success with this? What needs to change?”

“What is a productive habit I’d like to emphasize? How can I do more of this?”

When it comes to determining which habits to emphasize or let go of, I like to use a process I learned in Gary Keller and Jay Papasan’s book The One Thing. The primary focus of this book is to ask yourself “what is the one thing I could do that, if completed, would make everything else either easier or irrelevant?”

Which sabotaging habit would make it easier to let go of the others? Which productive habit would help you optimize your performance the most, whether personal or professional? For me, getting to bed earlier would mean I’d be more well-rested and would likely be less forgetful with jotting down tasks and responding to emails, so that’s the one I’d pick. When reviewing my productive habits, my weekly connections often lead to new clients or opportunities. This is the one I would want to emphasize because it means I’ll spend less time on other forms of marketing. 

Know that there is no right or wrong way to go about this process of shifting your habits. Only you can decide what’s going to help you move the needle forward in your business! 

Last but not least, ask yourself:

“How will I track my progress?”

What metrics matter to you? Is it the frequency at which you engage in your productive habits or don’t engage in your sabotaging habits? Or would you rather track the outcomes of those habits such as measuring a tangible number like new inquiries, clients, or weekly meetings? Maybe there’s something less tangible you want to track, such as energy levels, confidence, or focus.  Again, all answers are valid here. What’s important is that you give yourself the opportunity to regularly check in on how your habits are or aren’t contributing to the growth of your business so you can not only stay motivated to continue on your path, but also celebrate yourself along the way! 

You likely acknowledge your clients for staying on track with their habits, and it’s equally important you do the same for yourself.