some need resolutions. all need goals.
i am now convinced that when the new year rolls around, setting zero goals or resolutions is suboptimal — even if you’re very internally driven.
half of those who responded to my super rigorous instagram poll do not set serious goals for the new year. this is because society has conflated annual resolutions with annual goals.
some need resolutions
resolutions are specific first step or last step lifestyle changes like beginning to go to the gym or quitting a drug. these are about changing the consistent “how” we do things — it is a habit or identity transformation.
not everyone needs a overhaul of their habits on every new years, though — the most internally driven people don’t. however, some need the external checkpoint of new years to trigger new behavior. specifically, the underrated benefit of a resolution on new years is not the clean slate you get — it is publicizing your new behavior change that makes you more likely to commit to it1.
annual goals on the other hand, are less about habit change and more about a destination. it might mean a promotion at work or a target weight for your bench press. it’s more about the “what” you achieve (through some specific actions) more than changing the how (habits.)
that said, annual resolutions and goals are not completely distinct. if you have a goal to be an advanced dancer, you may also resolve to dance twice a week as a way of achieving that, resulting in a resolution that is connected to your larger goal.
while resolutions work for some, goals work for all. while you may not have any specific habits to kickstart, you should have long term goals, or at least a compass for your life.
all need goals
the other half of the instagram poll who do set useful goals had three common principles that made them prioritize annual goal setting:
clarify and commit to priorities: when planning 12 months ahead you have limited information, so you have to choose what will stay important through the changing seasons. this leads to fewer but more achievable goals.
invest money and effort: one great sign of fruitful goal setting is realizing you have to make a purchase, start a new habit, collect more information, or otherwise invest resources sooner than you expected — this is the transition from dream to goal.
invent a compass for post-grad life: school provided many checkpoints for growth and development that we don’t notice like fish don’t notice water. i view the transition from school to world as going from kayaking down river Niger where the water provides a suggested speed and has bounds or guardrails defining the path ahead, to arriving at the atlantic ocean where you can now go anywhere with no guardrails, path, destination, or suggested speed.
setting goals
i was struck by a simple goal setting framework recently and i can even tell you in one sentence.
for every primary category, set 1-3 big goals, a few checkpoint goals, and the daily systems to make it happen.
primary categories for me look like Work, Health, Relationships. I doubt yours will be very different or more than 5.
big goals are meant to inspire and stretch you, but are daunting to accomplish in a day. it could be bench pressing 50 more pounds, or writing and sending a draft for your new book to a publisher.
checkpoint goals are also daunting even though they are less grand. they are the necessary steps towards the big goals. Ex: bench pressing 25 more pounds, or writing the first 100,000 words of the book.
while many goal-setters set the big goals, few set checkpoint goals, and even fewer drill down to the level of daily actions they need to take.
You can find an example for growing a newsletter here, and my example for nurturing my relationships below.
Big Goal: 350 conversations with strangers or friends not in my city2
Checkpoint goal: 175 conversations by July 1st
Daily Systems: 1) 1 conversation everyday 2) Make 1 plan to talk to or hang out with a friend
thats a wrap
so before you disregard all this talk about new years resolutions because you don’t have bad habits to kick or good habits to kickstart, consider your overall growth instead.
can you define an amazing evolved version of you in 365 days? what incredible things could you achieve in this time? everyone can write some goals down.
Thanks to Grace for reading drafts of this and Adarsh, Diego, Emmanuel, Tolani, and Sara for sharing their thoughts.
Public commitment is especially easier with new years resolutions because we can tap into a social narrative of “making a new years resolution.” While you can publicize your resolution to have a sober september, for instance, this may be more daunting than if you made the resolution on new years when you can be motivated by others also making resolutions.
i set this goal because i’m at a point of high growth which means leaning into the discomfort of meeting new people, but it’s also important to me not to neglect many important relationships i have formed with friends who i dont talk to as often because they are not in my city