5 Goal Setting Hacks For 2024
With so much hype around New Year’s Resolutions, you would think we would be better at executing this annual goal setting ritual.
Despite the hype, over 90% of resolutions are broken, a benchmark that’s commemorated on the second Friday in January which has become labeled as “National Quitter’s Day” .
If you can get past the fluff of the pastime, there is value in intentionally and strategically mapping out your pursuits. The importance of goal setting lies in its power to provide direction, clarity, and a roadmap for growth.
Goal setting is not just about reaching an endpoint but also about the journey it entails, nurturing continuous improvement, resilience, and a deeper understanding of oneself in the pursuit of success.
Here are 5 next level tactics to help you set and achieve your New Year’s resolutions:
- Let the strongest version of you drive
As you enter this resolution season, lead with the most confident, optimistic version of yourself. Reflect back on a time when you felt your most confident. Remember every possible detail and connect with what gave you confidence. Even if it was many years ago, you want to invite that version of you to sit at the goal setting table with you.
That version knows your potential. That version will set a goal that is big enough to push you outside your comfort zone. The growth will happen in the pursuit of chasing your goals so even if you don’t hit your goal, you will have leveled up in the process.
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” — Michelangelo
2. Set process-based goals
It’s tempting to write your goal around a destination (ie. I want to lose 10lbs). The problem is that overlooks the day to day changes that are needed in order to bring that goal to life.
Instead of attaching your goal to a destination, attach your goal to the processes that will get you to that goal (ie. Walk 12,000 steps a day, track my calories, etc). Process-based goals revolve around the steps, actions, and habits undertaken to achieve an outcome. They emphasize the journey itself, focusing on the actions and behaviors that lead to success rather than solely fixating on the endpoint.
The larger the goal that you’re chasing, the larger the daily changes need to be in order to achieve your goal. But those daily changes can be tracked, offering a sense of accomplishment even when you don’t see progress quickly.
Establish the daily processes, fall in love with those processes and you’ll be at your destination goal in no time.
3. Plan for failure
We’ve all heard the Benjamin Franklin quote “By failing to plan, you are planning to fail.”
But you SHOULD plan for failure as you’re goal setting. Anticipating and planning for failure is not a pessimistic approach but rather a pragmatic strategy akin to preparing for unforeseen obstacles on the road to success.
There will be obstacles that knock you off course. There will be days you can’t follow your processes, especially when there are big goals with heavy discipline requirements attached.
The New Year’s Resolution narrative positions anything less than 100% as a fail. That polarity of thinking sets any New Year’s resolution up for failure. If you’re holding yourself to 100% perfection standards, you’re likely to hit a place of burnout and fall off the wagon entirely.
The feelings of failure can set you back when in reality, you just need to reset and keep going. Having a plan for failure ensures that setbacks don’t derail your entire resolution. Tap into your resilience and bounce back with even stronger commitment to task.
4. Ask for help
The popular goal-chasing advice about “work hard in silence” and “stop talking and start doing” is incorrect. When you chase your goals alone, you’re missing one of the greatest unlocks of goal chasing.
If your goals are big enough and challenging enough, you will need all the help you can get to achieve them. You never know who’s going to be able to help you unlock that next level.
A good connection who has been where you want to go can be a cheat code to making progress toward your goals.
In addition to directly reaching out to people in your network, you can also find your tribe by being public about what goals you’re chasing. Post about your big goals and the processes you’re going to follow to get there. Be open about accepting help. You’ll be surprised about connections you make along the way.
5. Do you, boo
You’ve heard the saying, “Don’t compare your Day 1 to someone else’s Day 100.” and that’s never more true than during New Years Resolution season.
Your journey is unique to you so your goals should be as well.
While social media can give us visibility and access into other people’s journeys, social media is a filtered lens that can’t be trusted to guide your steps. Sure, it can be tempting to compare, but comparison will only lead to jealousy and frustration.
Get clear on what matters to you. Set your daily processes and then act with tunnel vision.
There is no exact playbook for you to follow that exactly aligns with your skill set and your desired destination. Use the people who have already achieved the goal you’re chasing as inspiration only. Focus on you. Focus on your processes. Focus on the daily actions you’re taking to get closer to your goals.
Just as breaking a big goal into daily processes provides a sense of accomplishment, setting and achieving personal goals empowers you to continuously evolve and become the best version of yourself.
Embrace the process, stay committed to your aspirations, and celebrate each milestone along the way. You’re well on your way to fostering a positive cycle of self-discovery and growth. You got this!
