YES TO HABITS. NO TO GOALS.

I’m all for priorities. I’m not big on goals.

Why? In my experience, they don’t work - at least not in the way most people approach them.

For most, goals end up being a de-motivator as they focus us on what we don’t have, have us thinking of personal gain alone, are the source of stress and anxiety, and keep us busy explaining gaps rather than focusing on progress and what’s working.

Instead focus on habits. Once you've chosen your priorities for the year, (e.g. I'm going to focus on building strong relationships at work or diversifying revenue) - think about the 1 or 2 habits that will support this priority.

This allows you to see progress daily, remain focused on the few activities that offer the biggest return on energy, seek creative collaboration and leads to behavioural changes that are sustainable and compounding.

As stated in the HBR report, Goals Gone Wild, "goals can cause systematic problems in organizations due to narrowed focus, unethical behaviour, increased risk taking, decreased cooperation, and decreased intrinsic motivation."

So focus on habit and the goals will take care of themselves.