Stop Failing Again: 7 Simple Steps To Set Your Life Goals for 2024

You are reading an excerpt from The Challenge, a newsletter where I discuss self-improvement, goal-setting, habits, time management, and health tips and tricks.

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Any voyage needs some preparation before you start. And this is no different. On the contrary, you will probably fail most of your goals if you don’t prepare properly. So, start with a session of reflections on the past year.

How did your goals go in 2023? Let me know in the comments!

I already wrote a post on how to rate your end-of-year goals last year. So, I won’t dive into this too much. But take a few hours to evaluate your accomplishments and challenges from the previous year. And identify what worked well and what could be improved.

A hero is nothing without core values that define his actions. So you better find yours to achieve all your goals next year. (Finishing them all will indeed make you a hero.)

Yet, long-term goals require more than self-control, motivation, and consistency only. They have to align with your core values. Otherwise, you won’t meet any of those requirements.

• Write a list of values and beliefs.
• Think about what matters most in your life.
• Imagine your life five years in the future.

You can write a potential list of goals for the next year and brainstorm everything you wish to accomplish. In this phase, there’s no need to think about a plan to achieve everything you want. But prioritize goals based on their importance and feasibility.

And if you still need a method, the 25/5 advice from Warren Buffet can help you understand which goal matters.

• Which things do you wish to accomplish next year?
• Are they doable?
• Do they matter, or are they just temporary greed?
• Will they improve your current situation?

“ Oh no, here it comes! ” – you may think. And you would be right.

S.M.A.R.T. goals again? Well, yes. But there’s a reason why everyone in the personal growth industry suggests writing them.

Poorly written goals are hard to accomplish. You might already know that. And one good way to make perfect goals is to follow the pattern.

Here’s a short recap if you have never heard about it.

• S – Your goals must be specific and focus on a limited field.
• M – You need measurable goals to track your progress.
• A – Achievable goals are challenging but not impossible to reach.
• R – Then, your goals must be relevant. They have to focus on your purpose and values.
• T – And they must be time-bounded. Otherwise, you will keep working on old goals forever and never achieve anything.

When writing your definitive goals, keep this pattern in mind. And improve them with any missing parts.

If you still can move after grandma’s third pie, it’s time to build an action plan for your goals.

First, break down each of them into actionable smaller steps. You can use monthly or semestral milestones, for example.

Then, give a deadline for each micro-goal. Deadlines make you accountable and help you replenish motivation as you approach them.

• Split your new year goals into 12 or 4 milestones.
• Set a deadline for each milestone.
• Set a check-in session for each milestone to review your goals and adjust your aim or strategy for the following period.

I’ve always tried to set challenging goals because I overestimate my capacities. But as I failed, I learned a few things. Here’s what I know now.

• Never set goals during a high score.
• Also, never set goals when you are in the dumpster. The negative bias makes you create goals that are too easy.
• When you set a goal for something new, play carefully. Lower the expectations because you will experience many setbacks.
• And don’t try to improve your last performance by more than 30%.

Frustration will force you to give up when you set too challenging goals. So it is way better to play safe.

When I started writing online, I kept everything to myself because I was afraid. It was my first time writing in English, and my sentences were terrible. (Please, don’t tell me they are still the same.)

Since I wasn’t sharing my goals with anybody, I was justified in failing them. I could find whatever excuse I wanted, and it was easy to escape bad feelings .

But you have to feel the social pressure if you want to reach your goals . So, share them with your family, friends, and mentors (here’s how to find one ). Establish accountability.

The next time you want to quit, you will have reputation repercussions. So you will think twice about it.

• Share your goals with other people.
• Plan regular check-ins with them to build social pressure.
• Use your accountability partners for support and motivation.

I’ve built this newsletter on the concept of tracking your progress. So, what would this guide be without this step?

I don’t know how you feel about it. But for me, tracking progress is the quintessence of reaching goals.

There’s a hidden power I cannot explain with words. But a growing streak can motivate you more than anything else. It gives you a rush of dopamine you cannot find elsewhere. And you cannot ignore it.

• Use a journal, spreadsheet, goal-tracking app, or infographic to track your progress.
• Celebrate small victories for every milestone you reach.
• Challenge yourself to get to the longest streak possible.

I guarantee you will write perfect goals for the next year if you follow these seven steps. However, I would like to add one last thing.

Never stop experimenting.

It’s impossible to think about all the variables that impact your life in one year. You can’t predict everything. But don’t give up if something happens and you think you cannot reach your goal anymore. Resize it and keep working.

The same goes for goals that are too easy. You still have six months left if you reach your goal by the middle of the year. Will you just wait for the end of the year?

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