How To Make Goals That Don’t Suck

So You Can Actually Finish Them

“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” — Albert Einstein (allegedley)

It’s that time of the year again. The time where the last breath of a dying year gives birth to the loud hopeful cries of a new one with millions of people around the world looking forward to a fresh start.

For some, this is the time to make and break New Year’s “resolutions.” For others, it is a time to reflect on the year prior in hopes of gaining insight and appreciation of one’s accomplishments. At the end of a year, we’re all just looking for a way to make the next year better.

If you’re reading this, you are one of those people. You’ve probably made goals in the past that you failed to complete, or perhaps you just flat out forgot about the goals you set in the first place (I’ve done this so many times, ha).

Maybe you consider “resolution” to be a dirty word and are looking for an alternative means of new-year-self-improvement.

Whatever the case may be, I think I can help you. I’ve been a goal failer and a goal achiever a lot in my life, and year after year have become less of a goal failer. Let me share some of the frameworks I use to create goals that don’t suck.

Have different categories of goals

“The moment you put a deadline on your dream, it becomes a goal.” — Harsha Bhogle

Life is multi-dimensional, and your goals should mirror that. I’ve found that everything becomes more productive when you allow yourself to take breaks from work and focus on yourself.

So, I like to break down my goals into four categories:

• Personal
• Professional
• Health
• Habits

That last bullet point overlaps with the other three, and that is on purpose. You see, not only do I create goals in multiple categories, but I also create two different types of goals.

• Time-based goals
• Habit goals

Time-based goals are those that have a specific due date. For example, I have a massive goal of publishing a book by Labor Day weekend of 2020. I set that date in my mind and on my calendar so that I can work backward and map out every milestone needed to achieve this goal.

One of the critical areas needed to get this goal done is a daily-writing habit. The daily writing habit is something I must make myself do every single day, or I have no chance of completing most of my writing goals for the next year.

It’s a daily goal and has no end date, so I added that final section to my goals to accommodate the daily routines and rituals that will enable me to succeed.

This is a critical part of sticking to and completing time-based goals because it forces you to think about what you need to do to get the work done, then it gives you something to do every single day to push yourself closer to success.

Build-in Rewards

I am the worst about rewarding myself.

A close friend of mine called me out on it a few weeks ago when I was showing him my list of goals for 2020.

He told me, “These look great, but what happens when you achieve them? Goals can sometimes suck, because once you finish one, it’s over and done with, and you move on to the next one. You should reward yourself for finishing big milestones so that you have something else to look forward to other than the goal itself.”

He’s right. Building in positive feedback loops with periodic rewards for consistency or for finishing a goal is critical!

So I’ve taken a step and added another section in my 2020 Goals Project.

As you can see, I haven’t figured out what those rewards are yet, but by mid-January, I will have them nailed down. Just the thought of thinking about how to reward myself for hard work has me excited to get to work.

Do not set more than a handful of goals

Raise your hand if you are terrible at forecasting how much work you can get done in a given amount of time? ✋

Humans are hilariously awful at predicting how much we can get done.

“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.” — Bill Gates

It’s so important not to get overzealous when choosing your goals for next year. Remember, planning is easy, but taking action and doing the work is hard.

If you let yourself overestimate what you can do, you will under execute. Friends don’t allow friends under execute!

This is why I’ve only allowed myself to have a total of seven goals, both time-based and habit-based combined. In this sense, seven is not a magic number or anything, but for me, I knew what my core focuses are.

I need help managing my time. I work a full-time job, am a caregiver for my fiance full-time, and am still going to pursue my dreams. To do that, I need help. So the first goal for 2020 is to hire the right virtual assistant.

Next, I need as much energy as possible during my waking hours, so I am going to lose what excess weight I’ve accumulated over the last two years. I will write better if I feel better.

The final two are primarily writing-related; one non-fiction related and the other fiction related. I love to write and will no longer compromise on when and how much I write. This is another reason I am hiring a VA to help me protect the time I need to write.

Your Goals Should Progress Throughout the Year

What happens when you create your seven goals and try to finish them all by December 31 of next year?

You will maybe complete one or two of those seven.

So set goals that you can complete for each quarter of the year! This should help you create and build momentum, so you don’t run out of energy.

Of the four time-based goals I have set for myself, I have spread them out throughout the year.

• In Q1 I will hire a VA
• In Q2 I will have grown my writing business to $1,000 a month
• At the beginning of Q3 I will finally achieve 15% body fat as well as
• At the end of Q3, I will self-publish a fiction novel

These are the four most important goals of my year, and I am giving myself time to achieve them.

I’ve screwed myself over in the past by giving myself too many goals to finish by the same deadline. It frayed my focus and ruined my chances of success.

Put a copy of your goals all over the place

Remember when I admitted to completely forgetting about goals I’d set last year?

Why did that happen to me?

Because my dumb ass wrote my goals out and never reviewed them again!!!! Don’t be like me. You’re better than I am.

Review your goals every single week. Print out your goals and put them everywhere.

Some ideas for where to put them:

• Your fridge
• Your desk at work
• Your bathroom mirror
• The wall next to your toilet (super effective)
• Your shower (if you have a laminator and want to overachieve)
• Your car
• As a background image on your phone

It doesn’t matter where you put them, as long as you frequently see them.

Do You Even Need Goals?

I hear this negative argument all the time.

“Goals are stupid. They make you feel bad even if you accomplish them.”

“You should focus on habits over goals.”

Blah, blah, blah.

Yes, habits are essential to saving time and finding massive success. But what is the point of a bunch of habits if they aren’t building you towards something?

We, humans, are ambitious creatures. We need growth and challenge to be happy. Goals help us focus our energy on the challenges of specific growth.

So join me in 2020 and create goals that don’t suck.

All you have to do are create different categories of goals, build-in rewards, don’t over commit, spread them out throughout the year, and continuously remind yourself of your goals.

That’s it. Do all of that, and when you read this article next year, you can laugh maniacally at your success!