Designing Sustainable Goals Through Habit Integration And Planning

Key Quotes

"I know a lot of people set goals around this time of year often framed as new year's resolutions there is something about the fresh start energy of a new year that makes people think they can do new and exciting things however i know there is also a reasonable amount of cynicism about new year's resolutions I read a statistic somewhere that 91 of them fail now I don't know if that is true or not probably because sometimes these goals are so vague that I am not sure you'd even know if someone had succeeded what does it mean to get in shape or to eat more healthfully what would it mean to be in control of your finances or to stop procrastinating or any of the other resolutions like that"

Laura introduces the common challenge of vague goal setting, particularly with New Year's resolutions, noting that a high failure rate might stem from goals lacking clear, measurable outcomes. The author suggests that vagueness makes it difficult to determine success, leading to frustration.

"Ask yourself this would I do this on vacation that is would I continue this habit or would I still be pursuing this goal while on vacation if you are planning to eat more healthfully this year would you eat more healthfully on vacation if you are planning to exercise more often would you be willing to exercise on vacation if you are planning to drink less would you drink less on vacation than you normally would"

Laura proposes the "vacation test" as a method to gauge genuine motivation for a goal. The author explains that if a habit or pursuit would be maintained even during a vacation, it indicates a deeper desire and commitment to the goal.

"if you want evidence that a lot of goals and habits are less about discipline then they are about structure and incentives consider that many people who don't think of themselves as good at habits might have a multi decade streak going of brushing their teeth daily no one points to daily teeth brushing as evidence of their ironclad discipline nor do people try to weasel out of toothbrushing by claiming it is their birthday or they're on vacation or they did it yesterday yesterday was a really tough day and name your excuse people still brush their teeth"

Laura uses daily teeth brushing as an example to illustrate that consistent habits are often a result of structure and incentives rather than sheer discipline. The author argues that the ease and integration of brushing teeth into daily life make it a reliable habit, unlike more complex goals.

"if you have big goals it might help to think about how you could make individual steps toward these big goals feel relatively easy much like brushing your teeth this is one reason that i am drawn to big year long projects when i set my goals even very big things spread out over 365 days tend to become relatively little things"

Laura suggests that breaking down large goals into small, manageable steps can make them feel less daunting and more achievable, similar to the ease of brushing one's teeth. The author finds that year-long projects, when divided into daily tasks, become less intimidating.

"if you can't find three spots you'll need to refine your goal or figure out ways to change your schedule maybe that can't happen immediately but over 90 days maybe but the truth is i'd actually aim to block more than three sessions in if that is your goal in order to make sure that the three sessions happen because here's the thing life for sure will happen stuff will come up if you make space for three sessions there is a good chance one will be taken away from you"

Laura advises that when planning for goals like exercise, it is beneficial to schedule more sessions than the minimum required to account for life's inevitable disruptions. The author explains that by creating buffer time, individuals are more likely to meet their target even if some planned sessions are missed.

"Finally setting goals that actually happen means being constantly reminded of your goals how will you remember your goals how will you make sure you don't forget until new year's next year as you are planning your life how will you make sure time for your goals winds up in your schedule long time listeners know that i advocate creating a regular weekly planning time each week you sit down at around the same time and look forward to the next week what is most important to do in the spheres of career relationships and self what do you need to do what logistics do you need to sort out for all of this to take place"

Laura emphasizes the importance of consistent reminders and regular planning to ensure goals remain a priority throughout the year. The author recommends establishing a weekly planning session to review goals and schedule necessary steps into one's life.