Set fewer, but better goals

New Years is and always has been one of my favorite holidays. It isn’t because of the champagne, or the sparklers or the kissing at midnight, although I enjoy all of those things. What I really love most about New Years is that it represents a fresh start, a new beginning, a time to reflect and think about making real changes to shape my life for the better.

Every year was the same story. I would whip out my colorful pens, buy a new agenda write my goals, hope and dream that this year was finally the year I would exercise every morning, and keep my home sparklingly clean, and start a podcast and send birthday cards, and get in the Word regularly, and stop eating so much sugar, and on and on and on (one year I literally had THIRTY goals)… and then fall flat by mid-February. And barely be able to remember what my goals were by June.

I had read many books and blog articles on goal-setting, I knew most of the tricks of the trade, so why then are my goals the same year after year? Why can’t I seem to be consistent and follow-through with my vision? Is it because I am an ENFP and a 7? Is it because I lack the self-discipline necessary to make real changes in my life?

I really hope not.

This conundrum is what lead me down the path of developing the Pace & Pattern planner. One of the biggest mistakes I realized I had been making was that I was spreading my will power WAY too thin. If I actually were going to achieve all of those goals it would require me to be force myself to do things all. day. long. Maybe I could live like that for a few days, maybe even a couple of weeks but ultimately it was a recipe for burn out.

The truth is that real lasting change takes time. The process of changing the patterns of our lives shouldn’t be about rushing and forcing progress, as much as it should be about gradually guiding ourselves in a new direction.

Narrow it down.

The Pace & Pattern method has you choose just one habit, one project and one rhythm (or fewer!) at a time to focus on each quarter. By narrowing the number of goals down to just three you are forced focus your time and energy on those things that really matter and will have the biggest impact on your life. It’s funny how sometimes we can’t see what truly is a top priority until we are forced to choose.

Type matters.

You don’t use the same strategy to go about making your bed every morning (habit) as you would to renovate your bathroom (project) or start a book club (rhythm). We divided goals into these three categories because there are different challenges to consider and plan for with each of them. For habits reminders and visual tracking is helpful, for projects help breaking it down into steps and developing a timeline is needed, for rhythms planning in advance is particularly important. By approaching each goal with it’s particular pitfalls in mind you are much more likely to avoid them and see your goal succeed.

Why just one of each?

Different types of goals require a different kind of energy. For instance: for forming a new habit a small amount of consistent effort is needed over several weeks, for rhythms it is usually more about forethought and planning, for projects you need several large periods of sustained energy and attention.

By diversifying the types of goals you are trying to accomplish you are shaking up the amount and type of will power you are exerting, doing this helps prevent burn out and keeps you fresh.