What It Actually Means to "Dial It In"

You’ve probably heard this phrase tossed around a million times:

“I just need to dial it in.”

But what does that even mean?

Because let’s be real—it’s often thrown around like it’s some magic switch. Like suddenly you’ll be crushing your workouts, meal prepping gourmet protein bowls, meditating daily, and living your best green-juice life by Monday morning.

Spoiler alert: That’s not it.

Dialing it in isn’t about doing more. It’s not about pushing harder or being stricter or turning into a health robot overnight.

It’s about working smarter. About removing friction. About getting honest with what you need right now—and setting yourself up to follow through.

Where this usually goes sideways:

Most people hear "dial it in" and think:

• Cut out all sugar immediately

• Track every single bite

• Work out 6 days a week

• Cancel all plans and become a total shut in that never does anything remotely fun or interesting.

But that all-or-nothing approach? It leads straight to burnout. And burnout kills your desire to keep going in NO time.

So what does it actually mean?

Dialing it in means bringing your focus back to what matters most.

It means:

• Getting clear on what’s throwing you off

• Choosing 1–2 things to focus on

• Making those things easier to follow through on

No extremes. No punishment. Just purposeful simplicity.

Real client moment:

One of my clients came to me saying she felt “all over the place.”

She was tracking macros, trying to train five days a week, hitting step goals, sleeping like trash, skipping meals, and constantly snacking at night.

She was exhausted.

So we paused. Zoomed way out. And I asked her: “What would actually move the needle this week?”

She picked three things:

• Getting protein in earlier in the day

• Nailing breakfast and lunch

• Sleeping 30 minutes more

That became her version of dialing it in. Not perfect. Just effective.

And it worked.

How to "dial it in" (in a way that actually works):

1. Identify the chaos
What feels messy right now?

• Are you skipping meals?

• Snacking constantly?

• Feeling too tired to work out?

2. Pick one or two things to anchor your week
What habits will make the biggest difference—without burning you out?

• Add 20g of protein to breakfast

• Pre-track your weekday lunches

• Commit to one daily walk

• Commit to 3 strength training sessions per week

3. Set a short time frame
Try it for a week. That’s it. Let it be an experiment.

4. Make it super simple
We’re not earning bonus points for suffering.

• Use microwave meals

• Repeat dinners

• Pick the easy version, not the fancy one

5. Check in with how it feels
Are you energized? More grounded? Less frazzled? Let that feedback guide you.

Final reminder:

Dialing it in isn’t about restriction. It’s about intention.

It’s not about overhauling your whole life. It’s about turning down the noise and coming back to what matters right now.

Not forever. Not perfectly. Just enough to feel like you’re back in your rhythm.

Let’s work smarter—not harder.

Want help figuring out what would actually move the needle for you right now?