A well-known Buddhist saying goes, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” I must be on the edge of great change because teachers have been showing up everywhere during the past month. Instead of judging myself harshly, and seeing less-than-perfect as a failure, I’ve embraced the idea that I will always be a work in progress. No more pressure. Join me for photos from a Tiger Mountain ramble in January as we explore how to nudge the notch to reach your target.

Mt. Rainier on January 26 seen from W. Tiger 1. For much of the morning, we hiked in fog or clouds. W. Tiger 3 had a thin layer of snow that only increased as we continued to W. Tiger 2 and 1.
Mt. Rainier on January 26 seen from W. Tiger 1. For much of the morning, we hiked in fog or clouds. W. Tiger 3 had a thin layer of snow that only increased as we continued to W. Tiger 2 and 1.

Replace Binary Thinking with Nudge the Notch

In the past, I have had a tendency to see things as black or white, success or failure. Precision Nutrition teaches coaches to encourage clients to move along a continuum. This means that in order to get someone who drinks a ton of coffee, juice, or soda to switch to 64 ounces of water a day, the best way to get them to change is to encourage them to do one notch better.

Maybe they could move from a “1” (no water) to a “2” (eight ounces of water a day) by adding a bottle of mineral water to their workout. Or replacing one daily soda or coffee with eight ounces of water. Perhaps adding sliced lemon or lime to a water bottle for flavor will make it more palatable.

The westward view of the Olympic Mountains above a sea of clouds, seen from West Tiger 1.
The westward view of the Olympic Mountains above a sea of clouds, seen from West Tiger 1.

Nudge the Notch Examples

If you struggle to eat vegetables, are there any that you enjoy? Can you aim for one serving a day, such as tomato slices on a burger, diced and added to a salad, or served on the side of an omelet? If you are totally swamped at work and can’t find a minute to exercise, can you put on music and dance while doing house chores on the weekend? Maybe you could commit to ditching social media once a week to take a ten-minute walk at lunch. And if you are trying to write a book but life keeps getting in the way, could you set an alarm for a five-minute sprint to scribble a paragraph or two?

Halo effect on West Tiger 1. The sun was low behind me as I looked north into the forest on the top of Tiger Mountain. We can view logging as horrid, or we can enjoy the remaining beauty. How will you nudge the notch today?
Halo effect on West Tiger 1. The sun was low behind me as I looked north into the forest on the top of Tiger Mountain. We can view logging as horrid, or we can enjoy the remaining beauty. How will you nudge the notch today?

One Percent Better

This idea of moving along a continuum has been expressed in other ways. James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, suggests doing 1% better each day. If you start with a goal of 5000 steps a day and add 50 steps (1%) every day, eventually you’ll reach the optimal 10,000 daily steps without having suffered any pain, strain, or struggle. You will have a far easier time succeeding on this type of program than if you never find a way to leave the office, or worse, label your goal as “too hard” and abandon it before you ever try.

Build Your Change Muscles

The beauty in using continuum and 1% thinking is “sneaking up on your goal.” Such thinking involves taking tiny chances. Trying small new things. Learning from tolerable mistakes. Taking one baby step at a time. These are ways to build those change muscles so you can do bigger and better things. My Active Ajax Adventures project is a form of continuum thinking. When I am unable to get out to the mountains every week, AAA gives me another way to focus on my six intentions. It has removed any lingering “should” thoughts so I no longer feel guilty if I can’t spare a day for a hike. Win!

A new bench at the summit of W. Tiger 1 near the Hiker's Hut. Just to the left of the hut is a new fence that bars access to a newly decommissioned trail. Instead, the Poo Top Trail diverts hikers south around W. Tiger 1.
A new bench at the summit of W. Tiger 1 near the Hiker’s Hut. Just to the left of the hut is a new fence that bars access to a newly decommissioned trail. Instead, the Poo Top Trail diverts hikers south around W. Tiger 1.

Continuum Project

So where have we rambled the last two weeks? In addition to Tiger Mountain, our project has taken me to local parks that include:

I continue to appreciate the importance of urban greenspaces, from the tiny 1-acre Little Brook Park set among multi-family apartments, to the forested Paramount Open Space with a small maze of trails. It’s hard to believe that the wonderful suburban area where we live was once covered with green spaces. I am so grateful to the cities for keeping these recreational spaces intact.

One of the strangest finds at Paramount Open Space - trees growing up through an old abandoned wheeled machine of some sort.
One of the strangest finds at Paramount Open Space – trees growing up through an old abandoned wheeled machine of some sort.
Another strange find that made me smile was a decorated bird standing on a log on one of the many maze-like trails at Paramount Open Space.
Another strange find that made me smile was a decorated bird standing on a log on one of the many maze-like trails at Paramount Open Space.

Nudge the Notch in Journaling

The final example of “nudge the notch” I will share is journal writing. As an avid diarist for over four decades, I’d love to introduce folks to journal writing. This January, I joined the International Association for Journal Writing in hopes that I could explore ways to incorporate journaling into my Body Results coaching practice. Fortunately, several clients are interested in exploring journal writing with me. Win!

I am a proud member of the IAJW.org. If you or someone you know are interested in learning more about journaling to get unstuck, I am more than happy to share what I know!
I am a proud member of the IAJW.org. If you or someone you know are interested in learning more about journaling to get unstuck, I am more than happy to share what I know!

Find Your “One Notch Better”

Life contains infinite shades of gray. You are not “good” or “bad” for eating foods that disagree with you. You have simply made less-than-optimal choices. And you are not a failure if you don’t consistently drink 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day. By recognizing where we’re making incremental, “one notch better” progress, we can celebrate our successes, and do more of the good and less of the suck.

Here's my visual record of blogging in January, including a special appearance by my first guest blogger.
Here’s my visual record of blogging in January, including a special appearance by my first guest blogger.

Takeaway Challenge:

Think of a habit you want to change. What might ONE NOTCH BETTER look like for you? The goal here is to overcome inertia by taking that first step. Once you get momentum behind you and start building a new habit, it gets easier.

If you like, try what I call “gamifying” your intention. Use a playful approach to turn it into a game, akin to my Active Ajax Adventures. Embrace your inner child! I use stickers for anything I need to build momentum behind. Such as blogging at least one day a week. Then share in the comments a short report of what you want to do one notch better in February.

Published by Courtenay Schurman

Co-author of The Outdoor Athlete (2009) and Train to Climb Mt. Rainier or Any High Peak DVD (2002), author of Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills/conditioning chapter 4 (3 editions), and Peak Performance column for the Mountaineers Mag (2014-present). Member of PNWA, SCBWI, EPIC. Served on the steering committee for WOTS (2019-present). Completed UW Certificate program for Children's Literature and Memoir. Co-owner of Body Results, Inc. in Seattle. Climb leader with Seattle Mountaineers for over 15 years. Volunteer at Woodland Park Zoo since 2014.

4 replies on “Nudge the Notch: How to Inch Forward”

  1. Thank you for the reminder that almost all that is worth aiming for won’t be “bagged” in one swift grab. In fact, I have become a strong believer in the worth of the circuitous journey itself, while still finding great joy (of course) when I finally get there. I won’t try and pretend that I know all the reasons “we” seem to be so fixated on “the final win”, so impatient to get it, so dismissive of anything that falls short of perfect… and so stuck on taking the very first step. I believe, however, that these attitudes are acquired over the course of our lives and therefore can be unlearned… with the help of great insights such as the ones provided across your many blog posts; we are not built for inertia – we are built to efficiently adapt to almost anything. When I read your descriptions of nudging the notch, the image of a large labyrinth came to mind. There is one entry point (our decision to pursue a goal) and one exit point (the win!). At the start, we know that the path is unclear and will include many dead-end spurs. Yet, the way to succeed is fairly simple is (1) we commit to keep going, as long as it takes and in short/manageable trial-and-error forays, (2) we view each dead-end as one successful move FORWARD toward the exit (one more turn we can cross off the list, getting us ever closer to success), and (3) keep a careful tally of what worked and what didn’t along the way – learn from our “mistakes”. Silvie Marie’s image of going back to square 1 brought this labyrinth image into focus for me; isn’t it fun to build on each other’s perspectives and discoveries? Of course, the fact that labyrinths are a popular type of game doesn’t hurt either; thinking about our progress as slowly tracing that continuous line from entry to exit adds a playful element that can help us stay positively engaged with our quest. How fun to read the blog and put in words the thoughts it triggers… but how can I turn ‘Nudge The Notch’ into action? Well, my NTN project has been ready for me to engage for months; time has come to slay one more dragon: declutter my home gym + hiking gear staging area. A good measure of nudges and notches should progressively allow me to finally find out what the carpet looks like under the hilly landscape of my precious (or not) possessions. Off I go!

    1. Thanks for the playful and thought-provoking comments, Gerard and Silvie-Marie! I really love the playful image of a maze (or labyrinth) we’ve generated here, as well, which may be why I enjoyed Paramount Open Space so much that I actually could feel the smile breaking out on my face. That maze, that sense of exploration and discovery is indeed something we can use to make the journey more fun. I’ll go one step further and bring up something I’ve been skirting around for a few months, the popular but daunting “ACIM – A Course In Miracles” which says, among other things, that we give our thoughts all the meanings they have for us. So if we think negatives, we’ll attract more of that to us, but if we can embrace love over fear and keep a playful attitude we will attract more of that to us. Another way to think about it is “what we focus on begets more.” So if we see challenges as insurmountable, they’ll remain that way. If we look at them as challenges, as “by golly, I AM up to the task and I WILL figure this out,” we have a much higher likelihood of succeeding.

      Rah! Maze on!

  2. I love how you look at thing. We often set big goals for ourselves and then give up easily. Small steps are easier to do. Also, if we don’t reach a goal, it is ok to go back to square 1 and start again. Love your project with Ajax.👍

    1. Thanks for the comment, Silvie-Marie! Your key point, that it’s okay to go back to square 1 and start again, is often overlooked. Not only is it okay to start over, but sometimes we can start over with a newfound respect for the difficulty of the thing we’re trying to accomplish. Giving up sugar, for example, is extremely challenging as anyone who has ever tried it will attest. I’ve been sugar-free for over an entire year – at one point. I certainly can’t say I’m sugar-free right NOW, but I keep striving for it. And I am doing way, way better than I ever have in the past. I no longer strive for perfect, as it’s a complete mirage. If I look at the spectrum of “nudge the notch” I would say I am consistently at an 8 whereas when I first tried giving up sugar I was at about a 3. So, celebrate nudging the notch and any improvements you can make in the right direction. Appreciate you posting!

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