How to Set (and Keep) New Year’s Goals

I am not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions, but I am a big fan of New Year’s goals.

The problem with New Year’s Resolutions is that they are “all or nothing.” We decide on January 1 that we’re going on a diet. Then on January 3, we eat an entire ham. “Well, there goes that resolution,” we say to ourselves, and nothing changes.

New Year’s Goals, on the other hand, have the advantage of being long-term objectives, and long-term is the only way we make real progress. New Year’s goals also let us talk about what we’re going to do, not what we’re NOT going to do. Finally, New Year’s goals let us start with a clear end goal in mind, and we’re more likely to accomplish our goals when we start with the finished product in mind.

The best New Year’s goals have these things in common.

1) They are specific. Saying, “I’m going to earn more money for the business this year” or “I’m going to improve my relationship” are too vague. It’s better to say, “I will earn an extra $25,000 for the company” or “I will go to couples therapy this year, or if not, I will go to counseling by myself.” Specific goals mean you can tell whether you’ve achieved them or not: no loosey-goosey wiggle room.

2) They are achievable. There is an art to choosing goals that are a personal stretch, but still doable. A good goal makes you think, “I don’t know exactly how I’m going to do this, but I think I can.” (And at the end of the year, even if you only hit 90% of your stretch goal, that’s pretty great.)

3) They are measurable. You want to be able to regularly check in on progress. Number-oriented goals are good for this (dollars earned, pieces produced, pounds lost, etc.). Well-defined, long-term projects that you want to complete are also good (“I will overhaul our ordering system by May” or “I will run a triathlon in October”).

In my experience, it’s good to lay out 3–5 business goals, and 3–5 personal goals. For example:

- I will produce 50% more for the company than I did last year.

- I will create a monthly training program and run at least six sessions.

- I will run one new A:B test on our landing page each month.

- I will build [X] to be the company’s largest client.

- I will grow my team by five employees this year.

- I will get my weight down to 175 pounds this year.

- I will save $10,000 this year.

- I will reach out to friends at least three times a week.

- I will learn jazz trombone by taking weekly lessons and practicing 5x week.

- I will apply for my master’s degree.

After you’ve formulated good New Year’s goals, there are three ways to greatly increase your chances of success.

1) Write them down. Studies show that people who write down their goals are more likely to achieve them. You can write them down on paper, on your phone, or on the computer; just make sure they’re somewhere you can take them out and refer to them frequently.

2) Discuss them with others. If you tell no one, who will know if you succeed or fail? You’re giving yourself a way out. When you tell someone, you put some skin in the game. Be brave! (The more supportive people you tell, incidentally, the more likely you will be to succeed. This goes double if the people you tell are also trying to achieve the same goal, because you’re forming a support group.)

3) Review your goals regularly. By “regularly” I mean daily, if possible. Speaking for myself, I have my annual goals written down in a computer file, which I open and read quickly once a week, on Sunday nights. It is incredible what this regular review will do in terms of keeping you on track. You begin to see opportunities that you otherwise would have missed, and your mind will formulate new ways of achieving your goals throughout the year.

Ultimately, New Year’s goals are all about improving your life, and it is my hope that these tips will help make your life happier and healthier this year.