Why I Don’t Set Goals
Hey friends,
It’s crazy how time flies. We’re in December already, there are festive lights everywhere, and the Christmas markets are finally in full swing after two long years of Covid-related cancellations.
It’s that time of the year when we like to look back on the past 12 months and come up with new ideas for the future. Some do it through New Year resolutions (which as we all know never work). Others go about it by creating highly specific goals instead.
These tend to do better. In fact, setting yearly goals is what I used to do myself not so long ago. But not anymore as of late – at least not explicitly. And here is why.
The SMART Goals
The core principle behind the yearly goals is to make them SMART which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely.
That makes sense – by breaking down what we want to achieve into smaller chunks that we can track progress on, we are much more likely to follow through. Unlike the New Year resolutions that are often just wishful thinking without any real plan.
It’s a well-known approach and I tried it before. It works. So then, what’s wrong with it? Well, nothing, except that it comes with some serious drawbacks that aren’t obvious at first glance.
What Seems Realistic Isn’t Always So
For me, there are three main problems with setting goals. The first one is they often lead to stress and frustration if your attitude isn’t quite right.
You see, although goals are supposed to be realistic, we tend to overestimate what we can do. For instance, let’s say I set a goal of writing an article every week. Is that realistic?
Sure sounds like it but in reality, with work, family, and other commitments, maintaining such a schedule might quickly turn into a churn that kills motivation. You may power through it for a while but do it for too long, and you’ll have a burn-out.
The only other alternative is to slip behind and not achieve what you have intended. And this leads us directly to the second issue.
You Prime Yourself for Failure
Psychologically, we perceive results through the lens of our expectations. The higher they are, the more difficult it is for us to be satisfied. Continuing with the earlier example, let’s say I had planned to release an article every week but only managed to do so every other week.
Objectively, this is still a good result. 26 detailed, well-researched, and well-articulated articles over a year is not bad at all. I’d go as far as to say it’s quite an achievement!
The problem is, with the initial goal of 52 articles, it’s hard to think of this result as anything but a huge failure. After all, I actually fell short of 26 articles! In other words, I failed.
Do that enough times and the idea of being a failure starts to take root, even if subconsciously. If you keep on failing on your expectations, it’s reasonable to assume you will continue to, right? You’re just not good enough, right?
Wrong, but that’s exactly how our minds tend to reason. Needless to say, that’s hardly motivating.
You Lock Yourself into a Predetermined Course
Lastly, by setting a goal you essentially lock yourself into a particular path. Sometimes, that’s great but what if you want to pivot and try something else?
Continuing with our example, what if at some point I decided to give YouTube a go? Should I just abandon my initial goal and switch to a new one? I don’t know about you but I hate breaking my promises, even those given solely to myself.
Setting the yearly goals upfront takes away the flexibility. This can be a double-edged sword. Sometimes, it helps you stick to your guns and persevere through difficulties. Other times, it prevents you from following your inner voice.
So What, No Goals At All?
Well, not exactly. I still come up with goals but I don’t write them down or try to make them smart. I look at them more like directions and guidelines to help me take the right decisions.
For example, my goals could be to develop my blog or to hone my photography skills. This is the opposite of what a good goal is supposed to be. It’s not measurable or specific. Not exactly achievable either.
But if that’s a goal I truly believe in, it helps me navigate day-to-day situations. Should I watch a movie tonight or write a few paragraphs for the next article? Will this new piece of gear help me improve what I set out to improve?
Naturally, this approach requires some degree of discipline and commitment. The good news is you use the environment to your advantage. As James Clear suggests in his excellent book Atomic Habits, rather than goals, build systems and habits that reinforce desired behavior.
And that’s what I’m going to leave you with. Give this some thought. I came to this idea through my own trial and error but it’s hardly unique. As just one example, I’ve recently heard Ali Abdaal describing something along the same lines.
Cheers,
–Alex
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“Goals are good for setting a direction but systems are best for making progress.”
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