Goal setting: 2017

Raise your hand if this sounds familiar:

On January 1st, you’ve got your list of goals/resolutions and you’re raring to go.

On January 2nd, you’re feeling super motivated — nothing can stand in your way!

By the 3rd, you’re staying focused and feeling like you’re doing SO much better than last year.

On the 5th, distractions start coming up, but you’re still feeling motivated. You’ve got this.

By the 10th, you’re starting to slip a bit, but think “hey, I can make it up over the weekend.”

By the middle-to-end of January, you’ve lost your motivation, drive, and feel completely lost.

…What happened?

Some hard truth: somewhere between 81–92% of New Year’s resolutions fail.

Some hard truth: somewhere between 81–92% of New Year’s resolutions fail.

And the reason isn’t because you “didn’t want it enough,” or because you’re a failure.

The reason we fail is because there’s a lot more to achieving our goals than simply writing out a “resolutions” or goals list.

So what’s the big secret, right? How are those 8% of people achieving their resolutions?

To answer this question, I started reading self-help writer, James Clear’s blog, which focuses on how to use habits as a way to achieve your goals.

So this month, I’ll be sharing everything I’ve learned from James’s blog so far, with the hope of helping you achieve your own goals (…and maybe mine, too ;-).

In this article, we’ll talk about the reasons we have so much trouble achieving (and sticking to our goals/resolutions), and exactly what you can do to double (and even triple) your chances of success.

Alright, let’s get into it!

Why do we fail to achieve our goals?

Whether you’re trying to get more newsletter subscribers, write that eBook, or sell more copies of your online course (or all 3), there often comes a point where we just feel like giving up.

Maybe you feel like you can’t get started, you’ve hit a wall, or perhaps you just aren’t progressing fast enough.

So what gives, right? Where do these feelings come from?

Trying to achieve too much at once

Take a look at your list of goals and resolutions for 2017: anything seem…a tad lofty?

When January hits, many of us make the mistake of biting off more than we can chew, making our goals feel overwhelming, rather than motivating.

We try to achieve and/or change too much at once, often sprinting quickly toward the end result, rather than progressing slowly in a more achievable way.

For example, let’s say your goals are to get 50% more subscribers, write a 200-page eBook, and produce 3 new online courses in 2017. Feels like a lot, right?

Actually, if you were to break down each goal into smaller chunks (by establishing several small, daily habits that push you toward your goals slowly, rather than all at once), they immediately feel less daunting and more achievable.

But unfortunately our instinct, (especially at the beginning of a new year) is to go full-throttle on everything at once, which often leads to frustration and burnout.

Focusing on the outcome, rather than the process

It’s easy to say, “I’m going to get 1,000 newsletter subscribers by May,” but it’s quite another to actually put in the daily work that’s going to get you there.

Goals, after all, aren’t achieved by recording them or simply willing them to happen.

What does work, however, is pushing past your idea of the “final outcome” and focusing more on the specific process that’s going to get you there, like a daily habit.

For example, if your goal is to get 1,000 newsletter subscribers, your daily habit could be any number of things, from spending 20 minutes writing to leaving 5 comments (referencing your newsletter) on various blogs.

The problem we often run into is feeling like these “little steps” aren’t getting us to our goal fast enough, so we give up too soon or skip them altogether.

Impatience

Similar to the last point, our impatience can often get in the way of achieving our goals.

We think: “ugh, I just did all this work and no one even bought my book,” or “I’ve been at this for weeks and I’m not seeing results!”

We think of our goals as a sprint, rather than a marathon (sorry for the cliche line, but it’s true!).

Recognizing that goal achievement happens slowly and in tiny steps, rather than one big burst of hard work, is a mental battle you must overcome to get to the finish line.

Relying too much on willpower

When we first set a goal, we’re full of all sorts of emotions: motivation, drive, excitement, and plenty of willpower.

So we dive right in and start creating, writing, or doing whatever tasks make you feel like you’re getting closer to achieving your goals.

But at some point (and this is true for everyone), our willpower and sense of motivation start to fade like an overworked muscle.

So it’s not that we’re incapable of achieving our goals, it’s that we’re relying on our motivation staying in a constant, heightened state, rather than making a plan geared toward real results.

Motivation is not enough

To illustrate, let’s look at a research study from the British Journal of Health Psychology (discovered in this article from James Clear’s blog), which measured how frequently people exercised over a 2–week period.

The researchers split up 248 participants into 3 groups: control, motivation, and intention.

The control group was asked to keep track of how frequently they exercised over the next two weeks, but before leaving, they had to read the opening 3 paragraphs of an unrelated novel.

The motivation group was asked to do the same thing as the control group, but instead of a novel, they had to read a pamphlet on how exercise can help reduce the risk of heart disease. They were also told that for most young adults, having a regular exercise program was very effective in reducing their chances of developing coronary heart disease (this was the “motivation factor”).

The intention group was also told to track their exercise and were given the same motivational pamphlet and pep talk. But here’s the big difference: the intention group was told to formulate a plan for when and where they would exercise the following week.

But here’s the big difference: the intention group was told to formulate a plan for when and where they would exercise the following week.

In fact, they had to complete this statement: “During the next week, I will partake in at least 20 minutes of vigorous exercise on [day] at [time] at/in [location.].

The results?

Control group: 38% of participants exercised at least once per week

38% of participants exercised at least once per week Motivation group : 35% of participants exercised at least once per week

: 35% of participants exercised at least once per week Intention group: 91% of participants exercised at least once per week

In terms of results, the Control and Motivation groups performed basically the same, while the Intention group (the ones who wrote down when and where they would achieve their goals), followed through close to 100% of the time.

Setting intentions vs relying on motivation

It’s great to write down your goals and feel inspired, but it’s not a long-term solution to achievement.

Making a plan for when and where you will perform specific actions related to your goals (aka creating a daily ritual or habit) is what will produce the long-term results you’re looking for.

Below is a simple intentions table you can copy (or recreate) to help you stay on track this month and far beyond:

Daily Intentions Table — Example

What if I fail to meet my intentions?

As James Clear suggests in this article, the best way to deal with “failure” is to plan for it.

James also mentions that, according to research, short-lived failure (i.e. — missing your daily habit once) has no measurable impact on your long-term progress, so there’s no reason to feel like a failure if you slip up.

If you do fall off the wagon, the best thing you can do is get right back on as quickly as possible by relying on a “if this, then that” plan.

To get started, make a list of all the potential distractions or things that may temporarily thwart your progress.

Next, come up with an “if ___, then ___” statement to accompany that potential challenge.

Let’s say you want to write an eBook and your daily goal is to write one page per night when you get home from work at 7PM.

But if there’s a night you need to work late and you don’t get home until 9 or 10PM, that’s a potential challenge you’ll need to account for.

Here’s an example chart you can copy (or recreate) to help you outline your potential challenges and how you plan to deal with them when (or if) they arise.

“If ___, then ___” — Example chart

What’s next?

If you have a goal or resolution you’re working toward, I’d recommend taking the two charts from this article and filling them out for yourself.

Remember to select daily habits that are simple enough that you can in fact achieve them each day (for example, if you’re trying to write an eBook, don’t try to write an entire chapter in one day, but rather 100 words, a paragraph, or a page instead).

The simpler the task, the easier it will be for you to follow-through and achieve the long-term goal you’re aiming for (just think: small steps, not giant leaps).

Also, keep an eye out for more articles this month, all focused around helping you achieve your goals!