As you may know, most New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by January 19th.¹ Without a doubt, forming new habits, breaking old ones, and achieving goals isn’t an easy endeavor. Maybe it’s time we change our approach…
In my last post, I suggested starting with WHO you want to become rather than WHAT you want to achieve when it comes to goal setting. I recommend reading that post before you continue this one, or you may want to check out all three in the series so far:
- Part 1: Tired of Failed New Year’s Resolutions? Me Too!
- Part 2: ONE THING That Could Change Everything This Year
- Part 3: Start with WHO Instead of WHAT
- Part 4: Four Rhythms to Help You Achieve Your Goals This Year
Now that you’ve chosen your “identity-based habits,”² and goals what comes next? How do you sustain those habits day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year? Remember, what you do flows out of who you are, so if you want to change what you do, start from the inside out. That’s what identity-based habits help you do. What are they? Picture a three-layered bullseye:
- Identity (inner circle, bullseye) – who you want to be or become
- Systems and Processes (middle or second layer) – what that type of person does i.e. actions taken
- Outcomes (outer ring) – what comes as a result of taking those actions
Since I covered identity in my last post, this post deals with the systems or processes needed to become the person you want to be.
4 Key Rhythms to Help You Achieve Your Goals
One of the biggest reasons we fail to achieve our goals is that they are too vague. As you read this and take the action at the end, it’s imperative that you make it specific and measurable. I suggest trading in your SMART Goals for Michael Hyatt’s SMARTER Goals.
1) You Are What You Do Every Day…Especially in the Morning!
Daily habits are probably the most important, and they have the power to shape who you become.
You will become what you do every day, but your morning routine sets the tone for what follows.
First things are always disproportionately important. Think about it…
- Your first girlfriend or boyfriend
- Your first kiss
- Your first job
- Your first car
- Your first child
- Your first trip out of the country
I bet you can rattle off each of those things without much thought. Why?
Because first things matter.
The same goes for your morning routine. As the morning goes, so goes your day!
That’s why I came up with this free resource to help you create an effective and life-giving morning routine:
There are other important pieces that go into accomplishing your goals, but If you want to make progress, I believe it all starts with your morning routine.
I’ve written more on establishing an epic daily rhythm and routine in this post.
2) Review Weekly
In order to stay on track and feel like you are moving toward your goals, a weekly review/preview is imperative. This can be done at the end of one week or at the beginning of a new week before things get into full swing. I do mine on Sunday afternoon so I can wake up Monday morning ready to go!
In order to do it well, you need to track some things. I suggest looking back at your planner, and I do hope you have a good planning system! There are many options, but here are a few I like: The Full Focus Planner by Michael Hyatt and Co (I use this one), the Monk Manual, a system for being and doing, and the Time Block Planner by Cal Newport.
And don’t forget a weekly day of rest! Without rest, you won’t have the energy to tackle your goals with vigor. I wrote more about a weekly day of rest here.
3) Reflect Quarterly
Reflection is a lost art, but believe it’s imperative to achieving your goals. Daily, weekly, quarterly, and yearly reflection are all important. That being said, I like to take a deeper dive quarterly (one-half day) and yearly (a personal retreat). What do I do during a quarterly reflection?
I’ve written more about a quarterly reflection here.
4) Reset Annually
Annual retreats are one of the best ways to reflect on the year you’ve just lived and set goals and priorities for the year ahead. I recommend doing this in November before Thanksgiving because we all know the chaos that ensues between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but if you didn’t get to do it in November, fear not, it’s never too late to start a good practice. You can book it right now!
I’ve written more about personal retreats here.
It’s Your Move!
However you do it, defining a consistent rhythm and finding a system that works for you is one of the keys to becoming the person you’ve always wanted to be. Why not sketch one out right now?
My suggestion? Don’t try to tackle them all at once.
Start by crafting a daily routine, and as you master that, move on to your weekly review.
Here’s a free tool to help you called Crafting a Life-giving Daily Rhythm and Routine.
Lastly, if you are interested in life coaching to help you achieve your dreams and goals, you can reach out to me here.
Footnotes
² James Clear, https://jamesclear.com/identity-based-habits