Goal Setting That Works
Did you know that only 8% of people who set goals actually see them through? That’s quite a shocking statistic.
The good news is that you can join the 8% and you don’t need to be the most productive, driven person in order to do it.
When it comes to setting goals, the trick is to pick the right ones for you and to plan for the life you have.
You’re not incapable or lazy, you’ve just probably been setting too many goals that you feel you should set, or for that idealised future version of you that doesn’t exist (you know the one, the one who has all the time in the world, has loads of energy and never has any interruptions).
If you want your goals to actually stick, they need to fit you.
Your energy, time and responsibilities, not some ideal version of you.
Choose goals you want, not goals you feel you ‘should’ want.
This is a big one.
A lot of goals fall apart because they weren’t chosen, they were put upon us.
The goals that look sensible, that make you feel like you’re “doing life properly”, the ones think you ought to care about because everyone is doing it.
But the goals that carry you through tired days, busy weeks and wobbles are the ones that actually matter to you.
A good starting question isn’t:
“What should I work on this year?”
It’s:
What would make the biggest difference to my life?
That’s where the sticky goals live.
Be honest about your time.
Time is where a lot of plans quietly unravel.
Many of us aren’t great at knowing how long something’s going to take us. We’re also not very honest about how much time we’re actually going to have to dedicate to our goals.
We tend to choose goals based on the time we wish we had, not the time we actually have, yet pretend it’s the only way around.
So it’s worth asking:
How many real hours could I give this in an average week?
What else is competing for my time / energy right now?
Is this worth sacrificing other things for?
There is nothing wrong with choosing a smaller goal that fits your life right now. In fact, that’s usually what leads to progress. Slow and steady beats ambitious and abandoned.
Think about support before you start.
Another truth:
Some goals are hard to do alone and pretending otherwise often leads to them being dropped.
So before you commit, it helps to think about:
What would make this easier?
Do I need accountability?
Do I need structure, check-ins, encouragement, or a safe place to talk things through?
Do I need to rely on other people to contribute and if so, how likely is that?
You don’t need more willpower. You usually need better support.
Big picture, then break into into smaller cycles.
Rather than trying to do everything at once, imagine your year as a series of seasons, cycles or quarters like I do.
You can hold a big-picture vision for 2026 the kind of life you’re building, the things that matter to you and then work in smaller chunks of time.
This gives you:
Closer deadlines (we tend to get more done with the sense of urgency as deadlines approach)
Space to adjust and reset more than once a year
Permission to focus on what matters now
Remember, not everything has to be done this quarter. Some things can be saved for later.
You might want to host a big Christmas gathering, but that doesn’t belong in Q1.
You might want a family summer holiday, some parts may live in Q1, but not all of it, so just focus on what needs to be done now.
You’re allowed to put things off until later. It doesn’t been they’re a “never”, they’re just a “not right now”.
Giving things a home in the future stops them living in your head and draining your energy, meaning you have more time and mental space right now.
Plan for the wobbles before they happen.
Even the best laid plans are subject to distractions, interruptions and obstacles. So it really helps to think ahead and have ways of overcoming them.
This is a big part of the WOOP way of setting and achieving goals. The second O is all about obtacles. We’re encouraged to name them all and then address each in turn:
If (obstacle) happens, then I will (take this action).
Eg, if your goal is to eat less takeaway, but you opt for takeaway when life gets busy then it could be:
If work gets busy and I run out of time to cook, I will use a batch cooked meal from the freezer.
Planning ahead like this means a decision more in keeping with your goal is much easier when it comes to the crunch.
Ask yourself:
What usually gets in the way?
What could realistically throw me off track?
Busy weeks? Low energy days? Other people’s demands?
Then gently create a simple “if–then” plan.
If X happens, then I will do Y.
More examples:
If I miss a week, then I’ll restart with a smaller step rather than stopping.
If work gets busy so I don’t have time for an hour at the gym, then I’ll do 15-minutes of exercise instead (a little is better than none).
If I feel stuck, then I’ll ask for help rather than avoiding it.
Time to get specific - what goals really matters this quarter?
It’s tempting to have a whole shopping list of goals or projects, but try to focus on 1-3. You don’t want your attention, time and energy to be divided up too much. You can always add things later if you complete a goal.
Ask yourself, when we get to the end of Quarter 1 (around Easter), what are you going to be pleased you worked on?
Then ask:
What is the smallest first step I could take?
You don’t need to figure out the perfect step or the whole plan, just that first step that gets you going and start building momentum.
If you’re craving structure, accountability and a place where your goals fit your real life (not some impossible version of it), this is exactly what we work on inside The Coaching Circle and in my 1:1 support.
