First, let’s talk about the different formulas or suggestions in settings goals.
The most common is the SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timebound). I won’t be discussing this as I find this a cliche in goal setting.
There’s this BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). This is coined by the author of Built to Last and Good to Great books which are my favorite business books. Examples are putting a dent in the universe, crushing Adidas, etc.
This correlates with the moonshot thinking or the 10X thinking by Grant Cardone. Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars. Would you rather set a sales target of $1M or $1B? The common answer is $1M because it’s realistic. But if you know that the chances of hitting $1B is 1 out of 100, would you still go for $1M? Suddenly 1% of $1B or equivalent of $10M seems realistic if you change your perspective right.
Over the years, I have devised my formula in setting goals. First is I categorize them in terms of the following:
- Health
- Emotional & Mental
- Work (Finance, HR, Operations)
- Relationships
- Leisure
- Arts
- Personal Improvement
But setting goals is easy. The difficult part in achieving goals is how to stay consistent progress and stay motivated to get them. How to make good habits and break bad habits.
I have my OC way or a nerdy way in my goals. I write them in the Notion app. I create folders per category and per category, I define what is the state I would like to achieve in 5 years. I started to redefine my goals when I was 40 so I have a milestone I want to achieve when I am 45.
For example, in health, I should achieve 160lbs weight when I am 45 and these numbers in my bloodwork.
At work, I should have a one year cash surplus, I should this number of clients, etc.
For emotions, I have a way to score my emotions through journaling.
For relationship, I should spend this much time to each of my loved ones every week or so.
For personal improvement, I should learn and master these skills when I am 45.
And then I break it down and update them via a daily journal. Doing it daily is a bit overkill and to be honest, I fail to journalize from time to time but I do it at least once a week.
Another example, for health, these are the workouts I have to do per week and these are my fasting schedules. I log them in my journal each week and take note of my weight.
I log the intensity of my emotions and put demerits if it is a negative emotion and average them throughout the year.
So now that you have defined your goals and habits, the next question is how can you stick to these habits?
There a podcast by Dr. Andrew Huberman. He is a tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He has a recent episode in his podcast The Huberman Lab Podcast, he suggests some tools in making and breaking habits.
- Visualization. By visualizing that you are doing the habit, then the more likely you will do it.
- Task Bracketing.
– Phase 1 – First 8 hours from waking which is your best state, you should execute the habit that is most difficult to execute or requires more will to execute. Like deep work, workout, etc.
– Phase 2 – The next 8 hours (9 – 15 hours after waking), should be the habit that has less friction to execute. Like reading, journaling, music, leisure, relationship building.
– Phase 3 – (16 to 24 hours after waking) – Very low to no light habits like sleeping (obviously).
- 21 Day Habit installation and testing. Introducing 5-6 daily habits in 21 days. Now there will be times that you will not be able to do all 5 or 6 new habits but its okay. That’s the nature of this system.
- Breaking habits. Each time you perform the bad habit, acknowledge it then immediately execute a positive habit in your goals.