Put the Chocks Behind the Wheels Before You Start

There is a simple piece of safety equipment in a garage that doesn’t look very impressive: a wheel chock.

It doesn’t lift the car. It doesn’t loosen bolts. It doesn’t diagnose anything.

You simply place it against a tire before certain jobs so the vehicle stays where it belongs.

That small block illustrates something we often miss about staying on track with goals.

We spend plenty of time deciding where we want to go. However, we spend far less time deciding what will keep us from rolling backward when motivation disappears.

Research into goal achievement supports this distinction. Psychologists call one useful approach “implementation intentions”—specific if-then plans that connect a situation with an action. Research has found these plans can help turn intentions into actual behavior.

In other words, don’t just decide what you’ll do.

Decide beforehand what you’ll do when things get difficult.

Staying on Track With Goals Needs a Chock

Suppose you decide you’re going to make five sales calls every morning.

That’s the goal.

Now Monday gets busy. Tuesday brings a customer problem. By Wednesday, you’re telling yourself you’ll catch up tomorrow.

The goal didn’t change.

Your circumstances did.

Instead of relying entirely on motivation, create a response ahead of time:

If I get interrupted during my sales hour, then I will finish my five calls before lunch.

That kind of planning matters because specific if-then plans can help connect a recognizable situation with the action you want to take.

Here are three ways to put some chocks behind your goals.

1. Identify Where You Usually Roll Back

Don’t plan only for perfect conditions.

Think about where your progress normally stops. Maybe it happens when you get busy, tired, discouraged, distracted, or rejected.

Once you know the spot, you can prepare for it.

2. Decide Before the Moment Arrives

Waiting until you’re frustrated to decide what happens next puts emotion in charge.

Instead, make the decision earlier.

Research on contextual cues and habits suggests repeated behaviors can become associated with recurring situations or cues.

Therefore, give important actions a dependable trigger.

3. Make the Backup Action Small

Your backup plan shouldn’t require heroic effort.

If you normally walk three miles but the day falls apart, perhaps your minimum becomes ten minutes.

If you planned five sales calls but truly cannot make them, make one.

Forward movement matters because business momentum doesn’t always require a giant win. Sometimes it means refusing to roll all the way back to where you started.

Final Tune-Up

Pick one goal you keep restarting.

Then finish this sentence:

If __________ happens, then I will __________.

You don’t need more motivation for every difficult moment.

Sometimes you just need to put the chock behind the wheel before you start working.

Next Step: If you want one practical idea each week to help you stay focused, make better adjustments, and keep moving forward, join the Weekly Business Tune-Up. Each week, we’ll inspect one part of the business and look for a small adjustment that can help you make progress with less wasted effort.