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No year sounds more Blade Runner-esque to me than 2025.
Each year, we quickly find ourselves deep in one of the biggest human rituals of the year.
You know what I’m talking about – New Year’s Resolutions.
For the record, I think they’re a cup of sugar, honey, ice and tea (figure that one out). Plus, for whatever reason, companies decide that it’s also a good time for performance reviews and mass goal-setting exercises.
Of course, nothing can be better than returning to work after the festive season to have your performance rated. It’s practically the delayed Christmas present no one wants.
As you’ve most likely guessed, I’m not a resolutions or goals type of guy.
New Year’s resolutions are an age-old tradition.
They date back to 4,000 years ago. The ancient Babylonians are thought to have been the first people to make New Year’s resolutions.
Sadly, by February, most New Year’s goals/resolutions are nothing more than forgotten bullet points. In fact, a whopping 92% of people fail to reach their new year goals.
We all know the same people who set the same resolutions each year and still feel no closer to those changes 10 years later.
The non-obvious prison of goals and resolutions
Before anyone grabs their pitchforks and fire, I’m not saying goals are awful.
Every tool has its time and place. If you want to use goals for work, life and your career, that’s great. What I’m offering is an alternative to the status quo. Context is key with everything, so do what works for you.
With that out of the way, here’s why I’m not a big fan of goals and resolutions:
- They often force a success or fail mentality
- They prioritise immediate and definitive outcomes over enduring habits
- For the most part, they’re quite rigid. Life changes, and as such, goals must too
- 90% of people don’t recognise their starting place, nor the environment, mindset and motivators needed to achieve these
That’s my case to you.
So, what do I THE GOAL HATING DEMON do instead?
I do two things:
- A yearly life review
- Revisit and update my principles.
It’s not for everyone, but this might save you from the tyranny of prison that goals can create.
Do a review
We’re so quick to set goals for a new year that we never consider what has passed.
I’m guilty of this.
I’ve never been one to indulge myself in wins. You might call me a ‘and onto the next one’ kinda guy. I like to think it’s stoic.
Perhaps a better word than ‘review’ would be round-up.
I’m not reviewing life like a performance review would, but rather recognising what has been. Think of it like a Spotify Wrapped but for life moments of the last 12 months.
This roundup will form the foundation of what you want to build in the year ahead.
I like these because they help build a broad picture with multiple data points. Most people set goals/resolutions based on ambitions that are not backed by data.
No one person can know where to go next if they don’t recognise where they’ve been.
These reviews help me with both my sanity and avoiding recency bias. Until I did my latest review last week, I’d convinced myself that 2024 was just a ‘meh’ year for me.
But spending the time to see all the moments laid out in front of me, gave me so many ‘ah that was a good thing’ notes.
It’s funny how that happens.
How can you know where to go next if you don’t know where you’ve come from?
How to do your review
- Grab a piece of paper or open a word document, divide the page into three columns. Now label one – What went well? The second: What did I enjoy? And the last as: What can I work on?
- Now spend 30 minutes reviewing the last 12 months. Place the thoughts that come into your head in each column.
- Once you’ve completed this, make sure (and this is the really important bit) to read all of your responses in depth to appreciate everything you’ve noted.
- The final step is to look over your what can I work on column. Take the final part of your reflection session to produce the 3-5 top things you want to work on in the year ahead.
Your answers don’t need to be complicated.
This isn’t an EOY review for work. This exercise aims to understand your starting point for the year ahead.
Goals often fail because they’re not personalised to where you are right now. This is why many fall down in the second week of the year, we simply ask too much too soon.
A common example of this is when people want to improve their physical fitness.
Let’s say person x wishes to improve their physical fitness this year, great, so what do they do?
In my approach, they would review their starting point by exploring what’s happened over the past 12 months.
- What physical activities have you been doing?
- How many times a week do you do these?
- Do these supplement your lifestyle?
These are important points to review before building plans for the next 12 months.
Let’s say they work out twice a week.
A 3rd session might be a logical next step if it suits their current lifestyle.
Sadly, this is not the approach many of us take.
Too many come from a place of having no historical physical practice and jump into a gruelling body and soul-crushing routine of hitting the gym 5-6 times a week.
They think they’ll become that ‘ripped actor’ in just a few weeks.
But they’re wrong. Instead, they run themselves into the ground, and those goals/resolutions are dead by the second month of 2025.
Setting principles, not goals
Sooo the controversial bit.
Instead of huge lists of goals, I build, revisit and refresh an annual set of principles. Again, this isn’t for everyone, so don’t feel pressured to use it if it doesn’t work for you.
Context, friend. Everything is about context (that might be my word of 2025 already).
I use principles to shape and guide my behaviour, reasoning and decisions across my business, finances, wellbeing and more. I thrive in a framework of principles that encourage me to do the right things consistently rather than chasing defined endpoints.
A lot of this comes down to personal motivation. Principles motivate me more than goals.
FYI, a quick definition of principles – yes, I asked ChatGPT:
A principle is a fundamental truth, belief, or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of behaviour, reasoning and understanding. They act as guiding rules or standards to shape decisions, actions, and judgments across various contexts.
Why principles?
I look at principles as guiding frameworks.
Rather than fixed targets (goals), they serve as touchstones that influence actions and decision-making. It’s easier for them to grow with you too.
Whereas goals are more focused on ‘what you want to do,’ principles are about who you want to be.
As an example, I could set a goal of “read 5 books this year”, which is never going to happen btw, or set a principle like ‘Dedicate time to exploring new knowledge and applying it meaningfully’.
Get what I mean?
How to craft your principles
If you’re interested in crafting your own set of principles for 2025, I look at this in 5 steps:
- Reflect/establish your values
- Define commitments
- Keep them visible
- Don’t be afraid to change
- Use them daily
Let’s unpack these in a little more detail.
1/ Establish your values
This is never an easy task.
I always hated being asked this one when I was younger. For some reason, age has made it easier to define.
Principles should reflect your personal values, not external expectations.
A simple way to approach this is by identifying what truly matters to you.
2/ Define commitments
Here we translate those values into guiding principles.
We’re not in the business of confining ourselves to a rigid goal.
As an example, instead of saying “I’m going to exercise five times a week for 52 weeks of the next year”, reframe this to a principle of “I’m going to prioritise daily movement and healthier choices”.
Subtle and small but enduring.
3/ Keep them visible
Principles aren’t something you write on a performance review submitted on an HR platform that you don’t see till this time next year.
They’re living reminders, not ideas you write once and forget.
Keep them top of mind by placing them in visible spots. I have mine on a chalkboard next to my desk, and in a notes app on my phone.
4/ Don’t be afraid to change
Life changes, and so should your principles.
Goals have a win or lose mentality, whereas principles are more aligned with how life plays out. If life priorities have changed, then don’t be afraid to adapt your principles.
You can do this with goals too.
There’s no need to be trapped by them.
5/ Use them daily
Like most things in life, principles aren’t much use if you don’t use them.
They guide not just what you do but how you approach decisions.
When faced with a choice, ask: “Which option aligns most with my principles?” If priorities conflict, let your principles clarify what matters most.
[P.S. You can get my thoughts on making goal setting really work with some strategies you won’t find as part of the status quo].
📝 Final thoughts
Look, none of this is easy.
It’s not a magic potion, either. It’s an alternative to the norm, and if you’ve been hitting brick walls with goals, it might be worth a look.
Life is never about perfection.
Being consistent and intentional is the best that each of us can do.
As always, these are strategies that work for me. Context is key in everything. Principles won’t be for everyone, I know that.
No matter your method, I hope we can come back this time next year and share our stories.
In sum:
- Don’t chase the New Year high
- Adapt and evolve
- Leverage the environment and motivators unique to your context
Before you go… 👋
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