Hey everyone! This is a special edition that I have been preparing for quite some time about goals, and it includes everything I learned on this topic in the last 15+ years on more than 40 pages.
During my 20 years of career, I had the opportunity to meet some more and some less successful people. This always intrigued me: why are some people so much more successful than others, and what do they do differently?
And one important thing I found is that they set clear goals. But not only set, they have a set of techniques to set, pursue, and achieve those goals.
In this issue, we go through the following:
Defining your life vision and mission
Defining your values
Defining your life purpose
Personal SWOT analysis
Your Zone Of Genius or Ikigai
Defining S.M.A.R.T goals
Forget goals; build systems
Finding the right motivation
Building proper habits
Be passionate with Grit
Be a productivity master
Growth vs Fixed mindset
Tips and tricks
Learning materials
Bonus - Free Goal Tracker
Conclusion
So, let’s dive in.
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You may wonder why I need to set goals because I know where I’m going (e.g., I’m a software engineer, and it’s usually the next step in the career ladder). However, you will probably get nowhere high on that ladder or get somewhere if you think this way. But somewhere is not where you want to be.
Where you are now is based on your decisions from 5 to 10 years ago. Goal setting is choosing the rewards you want to enjoy and the costs you are willing to pay.
“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable” - Seneca
We will go through the steps for defining your life/work goals.
1. Defining your life vision and mission
The first step in defining goals is to create a vision and mission statement for your life purpose. You can do this by answering the following questions:
What would my life look like if I achieved my goals?
What's my greatest superpower?
What drives me?
What do I like to do in my free time?
What are my talents?
What gives me energy when doing it?
Which job would I like to do so much I would do for free?
For what reason are people usually asking me for help?
But also, what stuff I don’t like to do?
If it is hard to answer all these questions, you can talk with your mentor, coach, or friends to help you. Ask them what they think about you and how they see you.
Then, try to make three things pop up from here; this is the zone where you need to be in the future.
We want to live life according to our own values to be trully happy.
2. Defining your values
Now, we need to know your core values. Human values are the essential principles that guide how we behave and treat others. They include things like honesty, kindness, and respect. These values help us make decisions, interact with people, and shape our character. They are learned from family, culture, and society and are essential to personal growth and getting along well with others.
How can you define your values? First, you select 3-5 values from the Maslow B-values list that mostly resonate with you. Sit quietly, take a look, and select the most resonating with you.
For example, it can be autonomy, honesty, justice, perfection, and order.
If you want to learn more about life values, check the book “New Knowledge in Human Values” by Abraham Maslow.
3. Defining your life purpose
When you select your values, the next step is to define your life purpose. This will make it clear to you whether something is good for you. If something is good for you, it must align with your values and purpose.
As Abraham Maslow defined in his book “Hierarchy of Needs: A Theory of Human Motivation,” through the Pyramid of Human Needs, at the top, we have self-actualization, and this is an important concept. It means that finding our purpose in life and becoming a fulfilled person is something we want to achieve.
How can you define your purpose:
What are your main personal characteristics (mine is learning and transferring knowledge to others)
How do you like to do it (for me, it is to digest, simplify, and share knowledge with others)
Now, if the world is perfect, what would it look like? (e.g., everyone works prosperous lives)
Now, you can create your purpose from these three, e.g., “I like to help people to be successful and happy by providing them with knowledge.”
You can fulfill your purpose in different ways, e.g., in this case, you can write for free for others, give lectures, etc. It is important here because this purpose is ecological, bringing others good.
You can also use tests such as 16 Personalities or The Four Tendencies to learn more about yourself.
4. Personal SWOT analysis
A personal SWOT analysis is a tool to identify and assess your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. It's a framework for self-evaluation and planning, helping you to understand where you excel, where you can improve, and what external factors may impact your personal and professional growth. Here’s how you can conduct one for yourself:
Strengths: List your internal attributes that are advantageous. This includes professional skills, education, networks, personal traits, or resources. For me, it is my expertise in software engineering and experience.
Weaknesses: Identify internal areas for improvement. These might be skills you haven’t developed yet, personal traits that could be limiting, or resource constraints. Be honest but not overly critical. For example, I don’t have time for everything I want.
Opportunities: Look at the external factors you can capitalize on or use to your advantage. These might include industry trends, networking possibilities, educational opportunities, or emerging markets relevant to your skills and interests.
Threats: Recognize external challenges or obstacles you might face. These could be market competition, changing technology, economic conditions, or anything hindering your goals or career path.
How to Do It:
Set aside uninterrupted time for reflection.
Be honest and objective with yourself.
Gather input from your family or mentors.
Here, you can also use the Wheel of Life exercise. The Wheel of Life is a simple tool that can help you gain a clearer perspective on your life and set goals for the future. It's a visual exercise that enables you to assess your current level of satisfaction in various areas of your life, like a pie chart showing how much "pie" you have in each area.
The Wheel of Life is typically divided into eight to ten sections, each representing a different area of life that is important to you. Some common areas include:
Health and well-being
Career and professional life
Finances and material possessions
Relationships and love
Personal growth and development
Fun and leisure
Spirituality and purpose
Environment and contribution to the world
For each area, you rate your current level of satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the least satisfied and 10 being the most comfortable. Once you've rated each area, you can check what areas are thriving while others suffer. This visual representation provides a clear overview of where your life might be out of balance.
Then, you can decide to take on 2-3 areas where you want to focus in the next period to improve and make your goals based on those areas.
To learn more about this exercise, check PositivePsychology and Noomii.
5. Your Zone Of Genius or Ikigai
Your Zone of Genius refers to a skill or area in which you shine; you accomplish it with such skill and relative ease that others are in awe (as described by psychologist Gay Hendricks in the book “The Big Leap” and “The Genius Zone.“ Your creative flow is unrestricted in your zone of genius, and you are actively pursuing goals that fulfill and greatly satisfy you. It's the intersection of your innate abilities and your most significant interest.
How you can find your zone of genius is to take all the answers from the previous sections, such as your values, purpose, what you are great at, and what skills you have to fill this image. It will tell you where you need to focus on.
Here is a simple diagram of the concept:
The most successful people are not the ones who have had an easy ride but the ones who have overcome challenges and obstacles.
This concept is similar to Ikigai, popularized in “Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life” by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles. Ikigai is a Japanese term that roughly translates to "reason for being." It’s the intersection of what you love, what you are good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. This concept isn't just about finding your professional calling; it's a compass for creating a balanced, fulfilling life.
So, how can we use Ikigai to define meaningful and achievable goals? Here are the four critical elements of Ikigai and how they can guide your goal setting:
What you love: What are you passionate about? What activities make you lose track of time? When you identify your passions, you'll find goals that feel less like work and more like play.
What you're good at: What are your natural talents and skills? Leaning into your strengths can help you set challenging but not impossible goals.
What the world needs: How can you use your skills and passions to make a difference? Finding a way to contribute to something bigger than yourself can add purpose and motivation to your goals.
What you can be paid for: This doesn't have to be about making a fortune, but it is essential to consider how your goals can sustainably fit into your life.
By reflecting on these four elements, you can identify goals aligned with your Ikigai. Here are some examples:
If you love writing and are good at storytelling, a goal could be to write a novel.
If you enjoy teaching and have a gift for explaining complex concepts, you could aim to become a tutor or online course creator.
6. Defining S.M.A.R.T goals
When you know your values, purpose, strengths, weaknesses, and reasons for being, you can use them to define your goals. Creating the right, specific, and actionable goals is essential here. To do this, you can use the SMART framework. George T. Doran first coined this term in a 1981 paper titled "There's a S.M.A.R.T. Way to Write Management's Goals and Objectives" to help managers set clear and attainable objectives.
SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound:
Specific: Goals should be well-defined and clear. Instead of saying, "I want to grow my newsletter," specify, "I want to grow my newsletter subscribers by 30,000."
Measurable: Include precise amounts, dates, and other metrics to measure progress. For example, "Increase weekly newsletter content from 1 to 2 articles."
Achievable: Ensure the goal is attainable with your resources and time. For example, I will write 3.000 words per week.
Relevant: The goal should align with your broader objectives and values, like enhancing your role or being a good father.
Time-bound: Set a deadline to create a sense of urgency and focus. For instance, "Achieve the new subscriber goal within 12 months."
So, the summary of this goal would be: “Expand my newsletter to 100,000 subscribers in the next 12 months by consistently writing 3,000 words per week, focusing on key topics in software engineering and leadership.”
Aim to set up to 3 goals per year. Anything more than that could be overwhelming for our mental space.
“You will accomplish only what you plan to accomplish” - David J Schwartz
7. Forget goals; build systems
Goals are good for planning your progress, and systems are suitable for making progress. With systems, it means you need to have three things:
7.1. Split goals into action items and reflect
What is essential here is to break down your yearly goals into quarterly, monthly, and weekly goals and tasks. Weekly goals are critical because you can focus on some tasks to achieve your goal every week.
I particularly like weekly goals and doing a weekly review to improve those tasks because it is an excellent frequency to assess the progress for goals.
7.2 System for Managing Goals
First, you need to track your goals using some tool for this. You can use any tool, such as Notion, Trello, or similar, to track your goals, break them into tasks, and measure your progress.
Next, when you have a board, you need a methodology to deal with those goals and tasks, and for this, you can use the "Getting Things Done" (GTD) methodology. It's a system designed to capture, clarify, organize, reflect upon, and engage with tasks and ideas. When integrated with SMART goals, GTD transforms how one approaches goal achievement.
For instance, if your SMART goal is to grow your newsletter to 100,000 subscribers in 12 months by writing 3,000 words per week and hosting monthly webinars, GTD helps manage this goal. You start by capturing all related tasks, including topic research, content creation, and marketing strategies. Each task is clarified and organized into actionable steps, like setting specific times for writing and planning webinars.
Here is the GTD template for Notion you can duplicate. In the Bonus section you can check the Goal tracker template.
7.3 Strong focus
With this in mind, we need a strong focus that can be achieved in the following way:
Select one priority per day, what you want to accomplish (abandon others).
Eat the frog first (do the hardest thing in the morning). We have the most energy in the first 3h when we wake up.
Manage your energy, not time (work at the time when you feel most energized, depending on your chronotype).
Schedule deep work periods: working in a quiet location or adopting a work philosophy that suits your lifestyle (monastic, bimodal, rhythmic, or journalistic).
Embrace Boredom: Train your brain to resist distractions. Practice focusing without succumbing to simpler tasks or social media. It’s a skill to develop, not an innate talent.
Drain the Shallows: Minimize shallow work by scheduling every minute of your day. This doesn’t mean working more, but working more efficiently on high-priority tasks.
Only check e-mails and phone messages at specific times
Remove all tasks that distract you
To learn more about the deep focus, check the book “Deep Work” by Cal Newport.
8. Finding the right motivation
We often see that people who get goals right and have a good system for tracking them often lack motivation. To deal with this, we can use The Goldilocks rule (from the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear). The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks right on the edge of their current abilities. So it means we should do things that are not too hard or too easy but just right.
For example, if you're writing 3,000 words per week, adjust the complexity of the topics or the depth of analysis to keep it engaging. If it’s too easy, you might lose interest; if it is too hard, you could get overwhelmed. The key is finding that middle ground where you're learning and growing, but not to the point of frustration.
This approach maintains motivation because it keeps you in a state of 'flow' - a psychological state where you are fully immersed and enjoying the task.
9. Building proper habits
One thing that can help you a lot with achieving your goals is to form a proper habit that will lead you to your goals. In his influential book, “Atomic Habits,” James Clear eloquently outlines why small, consistent actions are more impactful than one-off, monumental efforts.
As Clear explains, habits are the compound interest of self-improvement; tiny changes, repeated over time, can lead to remarkable results. They effectively bridge the gap between ambition and accomplishment. This is especially true in the fast-paced and ever-evolving world of technology and leadership.
We can use the 3 R’s of habit formation to form the proper habits. They are:
Reminder (Cue): This is the trigger that initiates the behavior. A bit of information or a regular occurrence signals it's time to start a habit. For example, if you're looking to build a habit of writing daily for your blog or newsletter, the reminder could be a set time of the day, like right after your morning coffee (schedule it in your calendar or TODO list).
Routine (Response): This is the actual behavior or action you take in response to the reminder. It's the habit itself. For example, you are sitting down to write for a specific period or until you've achieved a certain word count.
Reward: This is the benefit you gain from doing the habit. The reward helps your brain figure out if this particular loop is worth remembering for the future. For a writing habit, the reward might be the satisfaction of sharing knowledge with your readers, getting positive feedback, or the sense of progress toward growing your subscriber base. But it could even be a cup of coffee or chocolate after writing time.
To learn more about habits and habit formation, check the James Clear book “Atomic Habits.” Or the book “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhig.
10. Be passionate with Grit
Even though you define good goals, have motivation, and have the proper habits, you can still fail to achieve them. And here we have Grit to save us. In her book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance,” Angela Duckworth explains the concept of Grit. Grit combines resilience, ambition, and self-control. It's about maintaining your commitment and passion over time, even in adversity. People with Grit are more likely to embrace these challenges and grow. They view setbacks not as overwhelming obstacles but as opportunities to learn and improve.
Grit [noun] - Possessing indomitable spirit. Having a drive for achievement regardless of upbringing or situation. Earning success in the trenches through hard work.
So, how can you develop more Grit? Duckworth suggests:
Find your passion: Explore, experiment, and discover what lights you up. That intrinsic motivation fueled by passion is the engine that keeps you going when the going gets tough.
Embrace the "Hard Thing Rule": Step outside your comfort zone, push past initial frustration, and seek challenges that make you grow. Remember, growth often happens outside the zone of immediate pleasure.
Develop lifelong interest: Cultivate curiosity and a love of learning. This intrinsic drive to understand and explore keeps you engaged in the long haul, even when progress feels slow.
Build resilience: Learn from setbacks, view them as opportunities for growth, and don't let failures define you. Remember, Grit is not just about pushing through but bouncing back stronger. This is the most crucial part.
If you want to learn more about Grit, check Angela's TED talk:
Another book that I could recommend on this topic is “Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
He introduces the idea of antifragility and provides insights into how we can apply this concept to various aspects of life and business. Antifragility is about turning challenges into growth opportunities, building mental and emotional muscles through controlled exposure to stress, embracing uncertainty and experimentation.
Check the video from Talks at Google below.
11. Be a productivity master
But, to be able to push hard to our goals, we need to be productive too. Here are a few techniques you can use:
Focus on ONE thing. Block time in the calendar for everything and try to focus on the current task only.
Use 2min rule. Do it immediately if you need less than two minutes to do something.
Use the 3:3:3 Plan. Use 3 hours to work on your most important tasks, 3 shorter tasks, and 3 maintenance activities.
Don’t just think, do. We often overthink things and do nothing. Always focus on 20% of things that matter (Pareto principle) because 20% of effort brings 80% results. This can help prioritize efforts, too.
Use deep work practice for at least 4 hours daily, with no distractions (use airplane mode on your phone).
When learning something new, apply the Feynman Technique. Pick a subject, attempt to explain it to a 5-year-old, then do more research to fill in any knowledge gaps.
Organize your duties according to an Eisenhower Matrix. The aim is to spend more time on vital tasks that advance your long-term values, missions, goals, and principles.
Processing messages and emails in bulk one to three times a day.
If you want to improve, do it for 20 minutes per day. After a year, you will be better than 90% of people.
Use the Getting Things Done methodology to track everything you do efficiently.
Use Zero Inbox Policy. Get rid of unnecessary emails immediately if the email requires someone else's attention, forward it. If an email takes less than a few minutes to reply, do it directly; otherwise, schedule a time to deal with it.
Beat procrastination with Pomodoro. Choose a task, set a timer for 25 minutes, work on it without distractions, take a short break, and do it again. After 4 sessions, take a more extended break.
Learn to say NO to many things! One no is yes to many other things.
Automate everything you can. Try to use different tools to automate everything you can, especially repetitive tasks.
Delegate tasks to others when possible to free up your time and focus on essential tasks.
Take good sleep and exercise. Last but not least. This is the thing that can affect productivity the most. Usually, it needs 7-8 hours of sleep to maintain physical and mental health. Also, try to eat healthily and do some physical activities. Regular walks can do wonders, as scientific research shows.
To learn more about productivity techniques, check:
And don’t forget to believe in yourself! If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. It doesn’t cost you nothing.
Productivity Cheat Sheet
12. Growth vs. Fixed mindset
Carol Dweck's book "Mindset" revolutionized our understanding of how we think about our abilities and potential. She identified two distinct mindsets: the growth mindset and the fixed mindset. These mindsets profoundly impact how we approach challenges, learn, and ultimately achieve our goals.
12.1 The Growth Mindset
People with a growth mindset believe their abilities and intelligence can be developed through effort and learning. They see challenges as opportunities to grow and setbacks as temporary hurdles on their journey to success. They are intrinsically motivated to learn and improve, and they value the process of learning over simply achieving results.
Characteristics of a growth mindset:
Belief in the power of effort: People with a growth mindset believe their abilities can be improved through effort and practice. They are not afraid to put in the hard work, even when it is difficult.
Love challenges: They see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. They are unafraid to step outside their comfort zone and try new things.
Learn from mistakes: They view mistakes as learning opportunities, not failures. They will analyze their mistakes and adjust to improve their performance next time.
Persistence: They are not easily discouraged by setbacks. They keep going even when things are tough because they believe they can eventually succeed.
12.2 The Fixed Mindset
People with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities and intelligence are fixed and cannot be changed. They see challenges as threats to their self-worth and avoid them whenever possible. They are more focused on achieving results than on the process of learning, and they may give up easily when things get tough.
Characteristics of a fixed mindset:
Belief in innate talent: People with a fixed mindset believe that talent is something you are born with. They do not believe that their abilities can be improved through effort.
Fear of failure: They are afraid to fail because they believe it will reflect poorly on their intelligence or abilities.
Avoid challenges: They avoid challenges because they do not want to risk failing or looking bad.
Slow to start, but give up easily: They may give up easily when things get tough because they do not believe they can succeed.
The growth mindset is important for achieving success and living a fulfilling life. People with a growth mindset are more likely to succeed in achieving their goals. They are also more resilient in the face of challenges and more likely to live happy and fulfilling lives.
12.3 How to Develop a Growth Mindset
Challenge your negative thoughts: When you think negatively about your abilities, challenge them. Ask yourself if the evidence supports your thoughts; try reframing them more positively. Say to yourself, "I don't know how to do this YET, but I will learn."
Embrace challenges: Step outside your comfort zone and try new things. Even if you don't succeed initially, you will learn from the experience. When there is pain, this means learning. View challenges as opportunities.
Learn from mistakes: See mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow. Don't beat yourself up over them; try to do better next time. Try not to use the word “failing,” but use “learning.” Even better, learn from others mistakes.
Try different learning methods: There's no one-size-fits-all model for learning. Be flexible in your strategies.
Celebrate effort and progress: Focus on the effort you are putting in and your progress rather than just on the results.
Surround yourself with positive people: Spend time with people with a growth mindset who will support you.
Remember, it takes time and effort to develop a growth mindset. But it is worth it! With a growth mindset, you can achieve anything you want.
12. Tips and tricks
Here are some tips and tricks you can use to achieve your goals:
When you have goals, tell someone. By telling someone, you will feel more obligated to fulfill your goals.
Try to focus on the plan. Be persistent! Don’t change your goals often, but adjust them occasionally (e.g., quarterly or in a half-year).
Use the "Seinfeld Strategy" to focus on daily progress. You marked each day on a calendar when you worked on your goals, aiming to create a chain of X’s over time. The key is not to break the chain, fostering consistency over perfection.
Use Accountability buddy. Find a partner who shares similar professional aspirations or understands your goals. Establish regular check-ins, either weekly or bi-weekly, to discuss progress, challenges, and next steps. During these sessions, be transparent about your achievements and setbacks.
If you have a hard time defining your goals, pick someone who achieved what you want to achieve, and then:
Deconstruct their process.
Select them as a mentor (don’t be scared; you will be surprised how many people will say yes).
Do what you know will work.
Put your goals in front of you and read them every night before sleep and every morning when you wake up. This is a powerful technique!
There is also a Japanese word, "Oubaitori,” which means “Don’t compare yourself to others.” Comparing ourselves to others can lead to negative self-esteem. Everyone has strengths, weaknesses, and paths, so focusing on our progress and accomplishments rather than comparing ourselves to others is essential.
And don’t forget to celebrate even small wins!
Learn more about goals
Everything we discussed here is aligned with what Stephen R. Covey wrote about goals in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” under 2. Begin with the end in mind.
If you want to research goals more, I recommend the book “Goals!: How to Get Everything You Want” by Brian Tracy.
Also, check the following three Huberman Lab podcast episodes from the Dr. Andrew Huberman podcast:
The Science of Setting & Achieving Goals - Dr. Huberman talks about the science of goal-setting, evaluation, and pursuit in this episode. He describes the neural (brain) circuits that drive the establishment and pursuit of goals. He also outlines nine scientifically proven tools everyone can use to achieve their objectives.
Goals Toolkit: How to Set & Achieve Your Goals - He explains science-based techniques in this episode for setting and achieving goals to optimize the probability of success. He explains how to determine a priority and accomplish a certain objective by methodically evaluating the degree of difficulty, measurability, benchmarks, and stages of action required to get from the beginning to the end.
How to Build Immense Inner Strength - In this episode, David Goggins (ex-Navy seal) explains how facing his early struggles—which included learning disabilities, physical and mental abuse, and obesity—became a discipline of intense introspection, which ultimately helped him transform those experiences into a superhuman work ethic.
Bonus: Free Goal Tracker
Here, you can check a simple and free Goal Tracker in Notion. It allows you to track your goals, where each goal can have multiple steps and a deadline.
You can duplicate it as a template and adjust it more for your needs.
Conclusion
And in the end, don’t forget that success is worked on! Treat any failure as a scientist; it is just a data point and something you learned along the way to success. It is not important how many times you failed but how many times you managed to stand up after falling. Failure is simply a cost you must pay to be correct.
In any case, to succeed is to want, try, fail, and try again to succeed finally! You need a winning mindset.
I wish you a great year ahead 👋!
I’m eager to hear your opinion on this topic and this article. Feel free to add comments on this post, contact me directly or hit reply to this e-mail. Thanks!
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This is a comprehensive write-up about all these methods; some even have other names or similar alternatives.
You can spend unreasonable time finding your ideal method and then figuring out your goals.
I'm terrible at goal setting. What I do instead is have a vision of which direction I want my life to go. Then, I act aligned with that vision. To me, everything else is just far too complex.
I once listened to an interview with a comedian who wanted to become famous and make a lot of money because they were broke and his family needed it.
Then, one night, years later, he was sitting alone in a New York hotel room where he was invited to perform for crazy money, and he realized that now he misses his family.
And as we get older, we change, and our goals change with us.
Thanks for summarizing all the methods, Milan!
Great post, an encyclopedia of setting and achiving goals! Well done!