Most people who made new years resolutions in 2023 have already quit them or will do so by tomorrow. Over 80% of folks who set bold goals or committed to keystone habits for 2023 will abandon them by the second week of February. I have shared my goals at the beginning of every year on this website for nearly a decade. This year, I held back a few weeks just in case a few readers needed a push of inspiration because, according to science, all of us are evaluating whether we will be able to sustain the habits, resolutions, and goals that we set out to achieve in 2023. Here are three ways to reach your potential in 2023 by setting simple and sustainable goals for the year.
Cultivate self-awareness
Our preferences, styles, and comfort zones are different. Setting and achieving goals often clashes with how we’re hardwired because changing how we do things is uncomfortable. This is even more true if we aren’t clear about what is getting in the way of our plans to improve and why it makes us so uncomfortable. Knowing yourself is critical for getting better. Knowing how you are seen by others, understanding what triggers or drives bad behaviour, and defining what self-imposed limitations might be getting in the way of learning a new skill are all examples of why knowing yourself is a necessary step to take towards achieving your goals.
By asking for feedback from trusted friends and colleagues or completing simple (or very robust, if that’s your jam) psychometric assessments, we can understand our motivations, style, and preferences a little more.
Define success
Goals should be specific and measurable (feel free to be SMART at your leisure). For example, instead of saying “I want to lose weight” try saying “I want to lose 10 pounds by June 1st by going to the gym three times a week and cutting out processed foods”. See, that’s a lot more actionable and you can measure your progress. If your goal is to improve communication with teammates, be sure to articulate how you will know what success looks like (for me, the metrics will be consistent check-ins with the team as well as pulse checks and annual survey results for our “clearly communicates our direction” metric).
One of my favourite coaching questions is “if you could wave your magic wand and create success in this situation, what would that look like?” Goals get us somewhere, so you need to be able to paint the picture of what that destination looks like.
Make it simple and repeatable
A key reason that folks abandon their goals is that they make a resolution or habit too spectacular, too stretchy, or too unrealistic. Three of my goals, which are outlined below, blend simplicity and repeatability in alignment with fairly seismic-shifting-potential. Reading before bed, which aligns with abandoning the speed and distraction of screens, is a repeatable habit that is building my capability of slowing down and focusing on fewer things to make a bigger impact. Finally, having someone to check in with and share your progress with can be incredibly helpful. It’s always good to have an ally to celebrate your successes with and who can offer support during the more challenging times. Whether it is a teammate or one of my kids, empowering someone to provide prompts like “slow down, John” or “Dad, it’s time for reading – the Nikola Jokic highlights will still be there tomorrow!” provides motivation to stay on track.
Here’s what these tactics look like for me in 2023. This year, I am focusing on three things:
Stillness: I will meditate and journal in the morning at least four times a week and I will read at least one page of a book (ideally fiction) before bed (note: if Michelle has turned out the lights then a podcast or audiobook at acceptable).
Slowness: I will speak 10-15% slower when I present information to colleagues, which will be measured by feedback in the moment as well as various evaluations of my pace (e.g. surveys about leadership effectiveness or quality of work).
Simplicity: I will speak in plainer language and focus on getting one or two high-quality things done every day, as opposed to chipping away at seven things.
While I know success will change a bit depending on my progress, I know that good looks like elevated presence (less focus on my phone or an enticing second screen during a meeting, more focus on people) as well as fewer things on my plate that are done very well.
If your resolutions or goals for 2023 need reworking (or maybe a restart), what might you do a bit differently this time?