The week between Christmas and the New Year is magical. We're refreshed, relaxed, and clear-minded. This moment of clarity is the PERFECT time to set goals because when things inevitably become stressful or intense, we need those clear-headed goals to give us direction.
So you should start with SMART goals:
- Specific: Clearly defined
- Measurable: Includes a way to evaluate your progress (deadlines, metrics, etc.)
- Achievable: Within your capabilities and that you believe you can achieve it.
- Relevant: Aligned with your overall objectives and priorities.
- Time-bound: Has a deadline.
My SMART goals include:
- Publish 30 new YouTube videos
- Increase The Lab's ARR to $600,000
- Average 7,500 steps per day
SMART goals are table stakes. But I've experimented with adding some new layers to goal-setting practice that can help you in the year ahead too:
- Anti-goals to strengthen your goals
- Non-goals to keep you focused
- Strict criteria for changing your goals
Let's explore each.
Anti-goals to strengthen your goals
When we think about what we want, we tend to focus on the positive: we want [$XXX,XXX] in revenue or to achieve [Y thing].
This isn't bad; it's just incomplete. You've given yourself a destination but no constraints on how you get there.
Anti-goals are the constraints that ensure you don't create new problems in pursuing those goals.
Let's use a revenue goal for an example. If you want to increase your revenue from $50,000 to $100,000, there are lots of ways to get there. You could run ads to a product to increase revenue – but if those ads aren't profitable, you could increase your costs just as much (or more)...which probably isn't worthwhile.
This year, in the pursuit of increasing revenue, I took on more sponsorship than I really wanted. Revenue went up, but so did day-to-day stress.
So when I set my revenue goal for next year, I also set a couple of anti-goals:
- Goal: $1,000,000 in top-line revenue
- Anti-goal: Don't reduce average net income
- Anti-goal: Don't increase day-to-day stress
This reinforces that increasing top-line revenue is not worth it if it comes at the cost of reducing net income or increasing day-to-day stress.
Similarly, I have a publishing goal this year:
- Goal: Publish 30 YouTube videos
- Anti-goal: Don't let publish videos without a lead magnet
- Anti-goal: Don't publish videos based on sponsor timelines
Think about the points of stress and frustration in your business. Frame them as an anti-goal using language like:
- Don't [agree to things your gut says no to]
- Never [take meetings on Monday]
- No [unpaid speaking gigs]
This system is like a bowling lane. You have the pins at the end of the lane (your goals), and the ball (you) moves toward them as quickly as possible. The problem is the gutters. If you go too fast and are out of control, you get closer to the pins (but may end up in the gutter).
Anti-goals are bumpers. If you are moving out of control, you bounce off of them and can continue moving towards the ultimate goal.
Non-goals to keep you focused
Ambitious people are more likely to set too many goals rather than too few. That's not inherently bad – it's good to stretch yourself. The problem is that even if we don't set an explicit goal for something, we sometimes get distracted by shiny object syndrome later in the year...
I have this lingering, long-term goal of writing a book. There's just one problem: I don't know what I want to write that book about.
Sure, I have some ideas. But nothing with absolute conviction – and I believe the book's subject itself is the highest leverage decision. Until I make that decision, I can't actually write the thing.
So, that "goal" hung over me all year. I'd have days (weeks even) where I'd completely distract myself from the important work right in front of me because I decided I just had to solve this book topic problem.
When an idea is just an idea, we're enamored with it because we imagine perfect execution. Not only do we assume we could execute the idea perfectly, but we also imagine the fantastical implications of that perfectly executed idea.
So, I didn't just imagine writing a book. I imagined writing a best-selling book. And with a best-selling book, the possibilities are endless! I could speak, travel the world, and be the authority in the space!
It was a complete distraction from my clearer goals, which I had more definition around.
My theme for the year is simplification.
Fewer projects.
Fewer goals.
So, to keep myself on track, I've introduced non-goals – things I am explicitly releasing any expectations around.
My non-goals include:
- Increasing sponsorship revenue
- Writing a book
- Building a SaaS platform
- Testing a paid ads strategy
- Organizing a large-scale, public event
I've considered all of those goals. I could do any of them. Maybe someday, I will!
But not this year.
When you have clarity about what is important, explicitly outlining what isn't important will save you from spinning out later in the year. If you feel yourself spinning, look at that list of non-goals and remind yourself of what you've already determined is truly important. Check-in on this monthly or quarterly.
Strict criteria for changing your goals
Years pass quickly, but if you think back to January, you can feel just how long a year really is. A lot can happen, and a lot can change!
So, what does that mean for the goals we set at the beginning of the year? Wouldn't it be reasonable for our goals to change throughout the year?
Of course, the answer is yes. Life changes, circumstances change – sometimes things happen beyond our control.
Valid reasons goals can change include:
- You've set too many goals. You realize you were too ambitious with your timeline and need to simplify to focus.
- You no longer WANT a certain outcome. If the goal no longer excites you, there's no reason to pursue it.
- Circumstances changed, and tradeoffs are required. If your life circumstances change, you can shift your priorities (but it comes at a cost).
That last bullet is the tricky one. If you want to add a NEW goal to the pile, you must remove another (remember, we tend to overestimate our time rather than underestimate it).
But usually, when thinking about changing our goals, something else is at play.
When we're scared or stressed, we feel uncomfortable. So, our subconscious tries to bring us back to comfort by pulling a switch-a-roo on our priorities.
"I should start a YouTube channel."
"Should I change my niche?"
Or, in my case, "I should start working on that book."
When you find yourself drifting from the previous goals and priorities that you set, you need to ask yourself:
- Did anything change about my circumstances or priorities?
- Is this new idea a bigger priority than my existing goals/projects?
- What goals/projects am I willing to sacrifice to create space?
Usually, this is simply a self-made distraction. We just feel resistance to some bigger, scarier thing we know we should do. So, you need some intellectual honesty to reflect on this before making directional changes.
This is another reason why non-goals are so powerful – when you are clear-minded, you can often predict what you may use to distract yourself later in the year. If you get ahead of yourself by declaring non-goals, you'll have a harder time fooling yourself during times of stress.
Goals without action are just hopes
Goals empower you to take action. If your goals don't direct your behavior, they aren't actually goals – they're just hopes.
I create monthly goals that help me achieve my annual goals. Things like, "10 new members into The Lab." However, I consistently failed that goal this year. I finally realized I would set the goals at the beginning of the month and then forget about them until my end-of-month reflection.
I needed to align my actions (literally my task list) with those goals. I could design an experiment: to get 10 new members in The Lab, I need more applications. I could probably drive more applications if I talked about The Lab more often. So, that goal (10 new members) could create an experiment with associated tasks and content.
But I didn't do that. I just threw a goal into the universe and hoped for the best.
Goals provide a destination. But remember: YOU need to take the action necessary to reach that destination.
PS: Want to see how I align my Goals, Projects, and Tasks? I built it right into CreatorHQ.
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