I hope you’ll find this New Year’s podcast informative, thought-provoking, and mobilizing! After all, uncommon success comes to people who have big dreams, a clear vision and plan, and a bias for action—these are the keys to success in the climbing world…and the everyday world!

In this podcast I serve up 5 generalized tips for improving your training and climbing-related activities to perform better and achieve more in 2018. Towards the end of the podcast I also serve up 5 tips becoming more productive, positive, and happy in all you do in the days and years ahead. New Years is a great time to re-engineer yourself, redefine your personal mission and goals, and to change habits and your personal MO to become more effective in all you do. Let’s get started!

Podcast Rundown

1:00 - Introduction to “10 tips for the New Year” podcast….and the importance of having a bias for action.

2:00 – Strive to distinguish between high- and low-value activities. Which dominate your time?

3:20 – Key point: When “good enough” is good enough….and when “good enough” equals shitty!

5:20 – This New Years…step back and see the big picture of your life: What’s your primary mission?

6:00 – Develop a strategy…set goals and make a plan of action.

6:45 – Key point: Happiness comes from making progress in important activities or areas of your life (not from things).

7:30 – Surround yourself with likeminded goal-oriented, action-oriented individuals; avoid complainers and naysayers.

8:00 – Overview of the two main parts of this podcast:

PART 1.) 5 tips for more effective training for climbing in the New Year. These tips will be rather generalized—listen to the previous podcast (#18) for specific programming guidelines for your ability. PART 2.) 5 tips to improve your personal effectiveness—how to get more important things done with each minute and hour of every day.

10:30 – Details on book raffle (on January 16th)…learn how to enter. Email a snapshot of your iTunes or Amazon book review to: Horst@TrainingForClimbing.com

12:00 – Part 1: 5 global (big picture) tips for improving the effectiveness of your training—and to become a better climber—in the New Years. Importance of setting process goals (resolutions) for achieving your outcome goals.

14:00 – Tip 1: Climb more often. Becoming a better climber starts here!

17:12 – Tip 2: Train to get stronger. Critical for achieving the higher grades!

24:40 – Tip 3: Do some “smart” endurance training. Key point: Simply climbing until you get pumped, it’s an effective long-term endurance-training strategy. Learn about the continuum of endurance types (and training strategies).

38:20 – Tip 4: Dial in your dietary and recovery habits. Small changes in these areas, integrated over days/weeks/months, can make a majority difference in the climbing performance. Learn how!

48:18 – Tip 5: Commit to twice-weekly antagonist & stabilizer muscle training….which will improve your climbing posture, support more efficient movement, reduce injury risk, and perhaps even feedback to give you a stronger grip! What about free weight training? Learn the best approach to add a few supplement lifts without adding unwanted muscle mass.

55:35 – Closing tips for more effective living in the New Year. Here are 5 tips—or habits to change and/or develop--to get more important things done each day, improve your personal effectiveness, increase the rate of progress toward your goals, and experience more happiness day in and day out! Consider adopting a few of these as your New Year’s Resolutions!

58:20 – Resolution #1: TURN OFF notifications on your smartphone—these will rob you of deep concentration and the important flow state….and steal your effectiveness and your destiny! Don’t be a slave to your phone—be its master.

1:01:45 – Resolution #2: Limit time spent on low-value entertainment and “time killing” activities like surfing the Internet, viewing social media Apps, watching TV or movies. While it’s okay to spend a small amount of time each day relaxing with these activities, they can quickly consume many hours of your life…and rob you of real life, real action, real relationships, etc.

1:04:50 – Resolution #3: Develop good sleep habits…which begins with limiting exposure to blue light in the hours before bed. Avoid use of electronic devices before bed OR wear blue blocker glasses (my approach) which are available for ~$25 from Amazon.com.

1:07:25 – Resolution #4: Reduce needless conflict in your life and steer clear of toxic people (both in person and on social media). Strive to be a compulsive doer…and avoid criticism and negatively. Work, recreate, and communicate with doers….and avoid critical, negative, toxic people.

1:12:00 – Resolution #5: Don’t compare yourself to other people—instead find your own unique personal journey!

Follow Eric on Twitter @Train4Climbing

Follow Eric on Facebook!

Music by: Misty Murphy

Iron in Children and Brain Development