Setting Goals in 4 Easy Steps
Turning New Years Resolutions into actionable & achievable goals
What are your goals for the year?
Back in my 20s, I asked my best friend and roommate that question. He thought about it for a moment then answered, “To eat more ice cream.” Hell yes, I thought, not all goals have to be about improvement or advancement. Everyone, you included, should have goals to bring more joy into your life. I’ll walk you through how you can come up with goals you find motivating, inspirational and moving your life in the direction you want…which may be toward more ice cream.
Let’s get something out of the way first, we’re talking about goals, not resolutions. Resolutions get broken and discarded. Its mid-January and you’ve probably already ditched many of your resolutions. Goals, set properly, can have lasting motivational effect.
When I ask people about their goals, most don’t have any or they have very vague goals like “eat better.” I ask the question to find inspiration and learn more about the people closest to me. For instance, my 12 year old answered, “perform in 1 or 2 productions.” Now I can encourage her to achieve her goals in theater and we have tickets to see a show next month!
Below I’ll share some specific goals and then I’ll walk you through the process of setting your own. Grab a piece of paper or your journal and read on!
Goals 2025
If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?
Setting goals is a way for you to set your intentions for the year. They should be the BIG things you want to do. The things that take time, personal commitment and are likely to be what you remember most when you look back on your life. If they are all easy/doable, you should push yourself a bit more.
In the hopes of inspiring you to think about your own goals, I’ll share mine:
Travel to Japan and hike Mt Fuji
Swim well. Swim 750m using Total Immersion technique without stopping
Do my first Triathlon; Sprint Distance (750m swim, 5k run, 17 mi bike ride)
Learn to Draw: self portrait recognizable as me
Attend Telluride Bluegrass Festival and explore local area
Skeletal Muscle > 42%, Body Fat <=13%
Increase monthly passive income by $1,000
Read >= 12 books
Launch consulting website, continue working at self-imposed capacity (20hrs/wk) for a great company
Cook at least one family dinner per week
Take kids on first backpacking trip of >3 miles
Hike >= 3 14ers (mountains > 14,000 ft elevation)
Do 1 Epic backpacking trip of at least 4 nights with friends
Not a bad list, right? Notice that every goal is specific enough that it will be easy to say if I accomplished it or not. For some I will use a spreadsheet or piece of paper to track.
Setting Your Goals
Get out a sheet of paper, and go through the 4 goal setting steps below. Create a rough draft of your goals.
Goal Creation Step 1: Answer these questions:
What would you be really excited to accomplish this year?
What is something you’ve wanted to do for years that you are willing to take on?
What do you want more / less of in your life?
What do others want more / less of from you (partner, friends, family, work)?
What habits would you like to form?
What is holding you back in life?
By answering these questions, you will come up with some specific goals as well as some themes which will help you create specific goals.
Do it now: Write down your goals
Goal Creation Step 2: Turn Themes into Goals
As you’re thinking about goals, its likely that you will first think about themes such as: be a better spouse/partner, find a spouse/partner, be a more patient parent, have more fun, connect with friends/family more often, learn to dance/play guitar/scuba dive, get finances under control, improve physical / mental health, crush work, work less, get house in order. These are the start of setting a goal but are not specific enough for you to know if you hit a goal or not.
Take each theme and break it into parts that are specific so that you can objectively say you met it or you didn’t. What does it mean to be a better spouse/partner? Dates two times per month, cleaning the house every weekend, making coffee every saturday morning, taking the kids to school and picking them up daily, putting the dishes away, backrubs each evening, texting back within 5 minutes no matter what else you’re doing, leaving sweet notes around the house? In my world, I’ve been told that cooking at least 1 family meal per week would make me a better spouse. I really don’t like making big, detailed meals. Never have. However, I do like being married so I’m going to put in on my list for this year and work at it. Who knows, I may actually enjoy making enchiladas at some point?
Here’s another theme worth detailing: Get finances under control. Some years the majority of my goals have been financial: pay off x credit card, pay down $10k in student loans, pay off car, increase net worth by $50k, buy 1 investment property. If you find yourself with loads of soul-crushing debt, you should have some clear financial goals to get out of debt which includes educating yourself on money. If you are “horrible with money”, I recommend you pick up Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover from your local library. After that, read a book that will change your whole perspective on money and things; Your Money or Your Life. Speaking of money, you should have a net worth goal.
Do it now: Write down any themes that occur for you.
Goal Creation Step 3: Make Goals Specific
By now you should have a pretty good list of potential goals for the year. Some are probably specific goals and others are subjective and hard to judge. Review what you have. If your goal isn’t specific, its very easy to lie to yourself about whether you’ve met the goal or not.
Last year one of my goals was learn to swim. This was not specific enough since I could already “not drown” while making my way across the pool. To achieve the goal, I went swimming 2x/week for 4 months, watched over 4 hours of videos, bought and read a book on swimming technique and even spent over $400 on a full day swim course. Sure, I could lie to myself and use all that effort to check that goal off my list. Oh, the satisfaction!!! Instead, at one point last year I thought, “this goal isn’t specific enough,” and I thought more about what meeting the goal would actually mean. A much better written goal emerged this year, Swim using the Total Immersion technique for 750 meters without stopping.
How about getting specific with your fitness goals? Almost everyone has some version of “get in better shape” as a goal. When will you be able to say you crushed it? What if you run 6 months out of the year then sit on the couch for the final 6 months? Have you met the goal or failed? What if you end the year 1 pound lighter than you started? Does that meet the goal? What does “get in better shape” mean to you? For me, it means a certain level of fitness that allows me to do activities throughout the year and do them well. I find deadlines help with motivation ahead of the events. Thus, signing up for a 5k or 10k months in the future gives something to work towards.
Here are a few specific “better shape” goals you can adjust for yourself:
Okay goals but they might not get you where you want to be:
Lose 10 pounds.
Walk >10000 steps daily.
Create a strength training routine and do routine weekly.
Read three books on personal health (I recommend The Four Hour Body by Tim Ferriss, Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Mathews (for men), Thinner, Leaner Stronger by Michael Mathews (for women), Outlive by Peter Attia).
Throw out junk food in house. Create healthy menu each week.
Great goals that are specific, require ongoing time commitment, give room for missing a workout here and there and should likely result in much improved fitness:
Run 2x/week at least 30 weeks/year.
Do cardio of at least 20 minutes 3 or more timers per week at least 40 weeks/year.
Run > 500 miles this year and at least 40 miles per month.
Sign up for 10k. Finish in < 50 minutes.
Buy scale that reads body composition (like this one). Reduce body fat from 19 to <16%, increase muscle from 39 to >42%.
Notice that most goals have numbers? That means they are quantifiable. You can measure the goal. They are no longer subjective, they are objective. Most your goals should have a number.
I find that having goal #10 on my list, with a few events (deadlines) scattered throughout the year, requires me to do some combination of all 10 items above but I only put 3 or 4 of the items on my goals list.
Do it now: Look over your list and make sure your goals are specific.
Goal Creation Step 4: Prioritize Your Goals
Look at your list and prioritize. Some items should go on your To Do list. Some should go on your Bucket List. Wait, did I just introduce 2 more lists? Yes, I sure did. I’ll discuss these briefly below and detail further in future posts.
Keep your list of goals under 20 that you’re really excited about. 10-20 is manageable. You don’t need to accomplish all your goals. Stretch yourself so that accomplishing all would be a challenge. If you have too many, you’ll get distracted by partially doing goals but accomplishing none. Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a year.
To Do List. It took me a few years of keeping a goals list to realize that the less exciting things, the “nice to haves” which I might get around to but won’t be too disappointed if they slip another year or that can get completed in only a few hours, should be put on a To Do list. Your to do list should hold these items: shampoo upholstery in car, build table in back yard, sell DSLR camera, scan hard copy photos, frame concert posters, prepare emergency kit, backup and organize photos from 2024, create meal plan for kids, etc.
Bucket List: For things you want to do that take more than a year or cannot be time bound, put these on your Bucket List. Here are a few things that could be on your bucket list: get married, have kids, reach financial independence, hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, become a good public speaker, take an around the world trip.
Do it now: Prioritize your list of goals. Try to narrow it down to less than 20. Perhaps start a To Do and a Bucket List.
What about intentions?
In addition to goals, I have several intentions which are a bit squishy, not so binary and thus not so easy to say, “crushed it” or “total fail”, some are habits, some are recurring tasks some are just getting into a different head space entirely. I’ll feel good if I can move in the right direction even if I don’t nail it all the time. My intentions are:
Have fun. See live music, go to events, symphony, gardens, museums, eat more ice cream
Be a better husband. Cook for family, spend quality time with kids and spouse
Spend dedicated time with friends, plan trips with those who are out of town
Build local community; become a leader at a local outdoor organization
Begin and sustain a daily cardio routine
Remember to look around and enjoy the present
As I plan my weeks and months, I use these intentions to fill in my calendar.
Do it now: List your intentions so you can refer back to what your want in life.
Want more examples of goals? Look for future posts where I’ll offer
My 2024 goals: Goals Year in Review
Goal inspiration: List of goals
You have a list of goals, now what?
Put them somewhere you can see them like your medicine cabinet or your fridge. I used to print mine out and put it on my desk. Nowadays, I write my goals on the front inside cover of my journal and refer back to it regularly. When you are planning your weeks or months, make sure you look at your goals while filling in your calendar. Set time aside to accomplish your goals. When you get one done, give yourself that oh so satisfying check next to the goal. If the goal is a huge deal, go out and celebrate. Perhaps you’ll celebrate the goal while eating ice cream which might just help you accomplish another goal.
What are your goals for the year? Add to comments below, I’d love to see them. Plus, research shows you are much more likely to hit your goals if you share them.
Solid framework for goal setting 👌🏼