Standards Before Goals
Turn desired outcomes into recurring behaviors that survive travel and chaos
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 98%
Lyon distinguishes a goal, which can be reached or missed, from a standard, which defines recurring conduct. Her own standards specify when she trains and the broad shape of her nutrition, including how she handles travel. The mechanism is to convert an outcome into a scheduled behavior before competing demands consume the available time. Bartlett recognizes that his workouts are residual beneficiaries of the day; Lyon's response is to schedule them like other important commitments and plan around predictable filming periods. A fallback can preserve the standard when a full session is impossible, using walking calls, push-ups, bands, or a weighted vest. The point is not inflexible perfection. Lyon also says one meal or workout should not derail the larger plan. The useful test is whether the standard repeatedly governs the calendar.
Origin
Lyon contrasts goals with the training and nutrition standards she keeps at home and while traveling; extracted from The Diary of a CEO.
Core principles
- 01A goal can end, while a standard continues
- 02Recurring behavior should be decided before the day becomes busy
- 03Predictable disruptions deserve a plan in advance
- 04Consistency matters more than one imperfect meal or workout
How to run it
- 1
Name the desired outcome
State what you want to improve, then identify the behavior that would repeatedly support it. Avoid leaving the outcome as a distant aspiration.
Pro tip Use a behavior you can verify on a calendar or simple log.
- 2
Set the standard
Define the recurring minimum, such as a specific number of weekly training sessions. Make it concrete enough that completion is unambiguous.
Pro tip Start with a standard that can survive an ordinary difficult week.
Watch out Do not turn a general example from the episode into an unsafe personal prescription.
- 3
Schedule it first
Reserve the time before other commitments fill the calendar. Treat the standard as planned work rather than a beneficiary of leftover time.
Pro tip Schedule recurring sessions at the same time when possible.
- 4
Pre-plan disruption
Look ahead for travel, filming, deadlines, or family demands and decide how the standard will be adapted. Prepare the equipment or location before the disruption arrives.
Pro tip Lyon suggests knowing the hotel plan before reaching the hotel.
- 5
Use the fallback
When the full version is unavailable, execute a smaller preselected behavior such as walking a call, using bands, or doing body-weight work. Preserve continuity without pretending the fallback is identical to the full plan.
Pro tip Make the fallback require little setup.
Watch out Weighted or vigorous activity still needs to suit individual capacity.
- 6
Resume without drama
Treat one missed workout or off-plan meal as an isolated event. Return to the standard at the next scheduled opportunity and review the system only if misses recur.
Pro tip Evaluate the pattern, not one imperfect day.
In the wild
Bartlett says ten-hour filming days make him sedentary and that workouts usually receive whatever time remains. Lyon points out that the disruption is predictable, recommends planning movement during the lunch break, and supports putting an hour of training into the calendar alongside other commitments.
→ Exercise moves from leftover time to a pre-committed part of a known difficult day.
Lyon says her physical-activity standard has defined moments even when she travels, and she knows what the hotel plan will be before arrival. The location changes, but the decision is not remade from scratch.
→ Travel becomes a planned variation of the routine rather than an automatic break from it.
Common mistakes
Leaving the behavior to leftover time
Bartlett identifies this as the reason his workouts drift late or disappear from busy days.
Planning only for ideal conditions
Lyon emphasizes deciding the travel or disruption version before the predictable constraint arrives.
Letting one miss erase the standard
She says one meal or one workout should not take a person off track.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for people whose workouts or nutrition repeatedly become whatever fits into leftover time.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal for rigid rules that ignore illness, injury, caregiving realities, or changing medical needs.
From the transcript
“I don't think we should set goals. I think we should set standards.”
“I think it's important that one meal or one workout doesn't take you off track.”
“You know it's coming. It's predictable.”
From the episode
The Anti-Obesity Doctor: If You Don't Exercise, This Is What's Happening To You! Use This Anti-Aging Cure No One Is Talking About! - Gabrielle Lyon