It’s that time of year again – the opportunity to reflect on the year that’s gone by and think about how we want 2022 to be. It is a natural time to come up with goals, so here are a few ideas to help them be more meaningful this year.
Focus. The biggest trap I see people fall into with goal setting is trying to do too much. We are pretty good at coming up with a big list of things we want to do. This can be a good start, but it can quickly become overwhelming. We can only focus on 2-3 goals at a time. The way I like to think about it is, if you have more than three priorities, you have no priorities. Take that big list of items and move it to a “someday/maybe” list. Pick 1-3 of those items and focus on those this year till you have completed them. Then add another from your bigger list as you complete them.
Set aside a block of time to think. Hopefully you will have some space in your schedule between now and the end of the year to set aside an hour or three to review where you’ve been, where you are, and where you want to go. This is where you can come up with your big list and pick your 1-3 goals to focus on. Pick a time, put it in your calendar, and hold to it.
Make sure your goals are specific, measurable, and have a deadline. Instead of “get in shape,” pick something you can measure. There are all kinds of ways to do this. It could be completing a race, improving your time or repetitions, being able to climb a mountain, number of days you hit your step count, or a cholesterol goal. Make it meaningful to you. At the end of next year, you should be able to say you either did it or haven’t done it … yet.
Make it fun. We are more likely to set and work on goals if they and the underlying behaviors are desirable, or at least lead to something desirable. You could include a friend, or come up with a reward for achieving your goal, or think of a small reward for doing the daily practices that lead to your goal. Try and make it interesting to you. Have fun with it – I’ve seen people tie goals to their age or the year (read 22 books in 2022). If it feels like a grind, it will be. So lighten it up or give yourself a reason to do it.
Goal setting can be a helpful process and a chance to grow. Take the time to think about it this holiday season and set a few, meaningful goals you can really work on through the year. If you would like to dive deeper into this topic, I would recommend Atomic Habits by James Clear or How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton M. Christensen. Let’s make 2022 a great year, by planning for success.