Do these instead of setting unrealistic goals this new year…

We are all familiar with that feeling of extreme motivation and determination for the first week of the New Year. You wake up early, eat healthy, and go to the gym. Then for most people, life happens and you turn on the same old binge-eating with Netflix mode.

A goal or objective is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan, and commit to achieve.

Wikipedia

When it comes to achieving our goals, commitment is the hardest part for all of us. How can we commit to our goals this year?

I’m currently reading Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal and one of the main points in the book so far is that feeling good and enjoying the journey while doing a task will result in more satisfaction and success and I realized I had been unintentionally practicing this all along.

Understand your why through self-reflection

It’s very easy to put life on autopilot these days. But you are more likely to be miserable pursuing a goal for external validation. Take some time to self-reflect and understand why you want to achieve a particular goal. Think about whether it’s gonna move you closer to your ideal life.

It has helped me a lot in deciding my major. I chose computer science after doing a lot of thinking even though people around me were not that optimistic about my decision. I had a deep understanding of things that I enjoy, my personality, and the kind of life I wanna design for myself.

I was born in 1995 and I grew up in the mountains in Kerala. It was a beautiful place with an amazing climate and I was an outdoorsy kid. I had no smart devices around me. I got my first smartphone when I was in my second year of engineering and unlimited internet when Jio was introduced in India during my graduation days. My point is growing up I had so much free space in my brain to create and refine ideas and just think about random things.

I also remember my early adulthood days when my screen time was more than 10 hours and I could feel how my brain was getting overwhelmed, tired, and confused while making decisions.

Technology is not a villain. But the way we use it is a little problematic. Be aware of your screen time. Embrace boredom. Practice meditation. Remove the background stimulation at least for a set period every single day. Don’t run away from your thoughts. Be open to new ideas and opportunities. You will eventually get your why.

Set realistic and specific goals

Don’t be delusional. The cinematic ending doesn’t always happen.

One thing I realized after learning data science is that our perception of probability is not always true. An idea that caught my attention from The Psychology of Money is to always take calculated risks, and always have a backup.

I have a small YouTube channel with around 500 subscribers. I film everything on my Samsung phone. So my goal with my channel is not to hit 1 M followers this year. If that happens, that will be a statistical anomaly. My goal is to just upload 100 videos and improve and learn something new with each video.

The major difference is that my goal is something I can control.

So instead of setting a goal to lose 10 Kg, your goal should be something like, work out every day at least for 30 minutes right after I wake up.

Convert your goal into something more actionable. The more details you include, the better.

Write down and break down your goals

I can’t stress this enough. Your brain won’t hold everything you think. It is good at generating ideas but not at storing them. Take some time out and write everything down.

I realized this for the first time when I was 15. I used to rely on my brain till then. My ideology was if it’s important, my brain will remind me. Did I forget important tasks and deadlines? Yes.

Eventually, I got this pocket diary to write down my goals, projects, and tasks because our math teacher insisted on it. And….

I can’t explain how free my brain was. The overwhelmed phase that I was always in was just gone. Since then I have always kept a journal and some way to capture my ideas and tasks as soon as I think about them.

Focus on the verbs while writing them down. Break down your goals into projects and then tasks. Assign a deadline to each task.

So write down your goals and include details as much as you can.

Focus on one or two goals at a time

Don’t bite more than you can chew.

I have been there. I guess most of us have been there. Especially with the rise of social media, everyone seems to have it all… And we want to have everything instantly.

We want to be rich in a month, lose weight in a week, and have an amazing relationship without putting in any effort. Life doesn’t work like that. Slow and steady wins the raise.

Tackle your goals one at a time. Or maximum two.

When I was preparing for the GATE exam (GATE is the entrance exam for engineering Master’s courses in India), I used to watch lectures from this YouTube coach, and his first advice was to focus just on the exam and not on anything like fitness or new relationships. I find it a little too extreme, but it kinda works for short-term goals.

Convert them into actionable habits you do without thinking too much. For example, integrate a one-hour walk into your day after dinner if your goal is to lose weight. Once you build habits that stick, you can add more.

Enjoy the journey

I can’t stress this enough.

Life does not happen after you achieve your goal. It is happening right now. If you don’t enjoy the journey, you are probably not going to be as happy as you think you would be once you achieve the goal.

The first year of engineering was a little too much for me. There were moments when I hated studying for exams. It was different from my high school where notes were directly given by teachers. But eventually, I started enjoying the exams.

I had a planning routine once the exam dates were declared. I visit my parents and stay there for a few days just relaxing and decluttering my brain. Then I would come back to the hostel and take a printout of the entire semester’s syllabus. I would collect all the books and materials (mostly digital copies). Assign days for each subject.

On those days, I would get 8 hours of sleep (10:30 pm to 6:30 am) because by that time I started understanding the importance of sleep and planning in life. I would start studying in the morning, I would take occasional breaks mostly spending time with roommates or watching a show for 15 minutes or so until my brain felt ready again.

The most enjoyable part for me was to take notes. I used to create these mind maps so that I could revise and organize everything in my mind. 1 sheet of paper usually has one module.

My favorite part was the striking topic I finished from the syllabus. I made it more like a game.

I never worry about it once the exam is done. Once you learn to enjoy the journey, the result will appear.

I can proudly say that I have never failed an exam (also scored high marks) in my graduation and post-graduation combined. But it was never my goal. I think I have written around a hundred university exams till now.

When it comes to work, I make sure to set my environment as comfortable and distraction-free as possible.

Keep your goals private

This is tricky advice.

I recently learned this from Huberman Lab. When you share your goals with others, your brain makes you feel like you have already achieved the goal and that will affect your motivation to pursue the goal.

I have also heard that sharing your goals with people makes you more accountable. Tina Huang is a tech YouTuber I have been following for years. She was a data scientist in Meta and she used to livestream her study sessions to keep her accountable and it kinda worked for her.

I don’t share my goals with people who don’t have a growth mindset even if they are close family because they can be so negative and they demotivate me.

If you are a procrastinator getting an accountability partner or a mentor can be amazing for you.

I used to have study partners during my post graduation and the whole study experience was elevated.

So, experiment a lot and figure out what works for you. Build a routine that works for you.

What is the worst thing that could happen?

If you enjoyed this post check out my previous post about getting out of a rut in life.

If you prefer video format, check out my YouTube channel.

Have an amazing year.