Goal setting for personal growth
Why are we so structured, goal-oriented, and strategic at work—consistently meeting goals and deadlines—while in our personal lives, we’re like a feather in the wind, drifting wherever our focus takes us now?
During Covid-19, there was plenty of time to reflect. We read books about personal development, and soon, we discovered Atomic Habits and The Power of Habit, both incredibly inspiring. They focus on achieving bigger goals by building habits and taking small, consistent steps toward larger ambitions.
Both books introduced several methods to help new habits stick. One key approach is anchoring, which involves starting a new habit immediately after an established one, like adding a new routine after brushing your teeth (an already-ingrained habit). Another important principle is the need to allow for failure—it’s inevitable—but the key is to get back on track the next day if a habit is broken.
The books also highlighted the importance of accountability: sharing goals and habits with someone you care about or discussing them openly with others. This dramatically increases the likelihood of sticking to the habit and reaching your goals.
In 2020, we started setting weekly goals. Every Sunday evening, we had a FaceTime meeting to share our goals for the upcoming week. The following Sunday, we’d reviewed how things went and set new goals for the next week. Initially, it was a lot of to-do tasks, but once those were completed, we began focusing on routines. These ranged from establishing effective morning rituals (with yoga, exercise, and meditation) to automating savings and gradually reducing screen time week by week.
We kept this up for over four years, with significant results. By working holistically on improving health, relationships, and finances, creating a peaceful home, and embracing meaningful experiences, our day-to-day happiness and overall quality of life gradually increased. The changes were subtle at first but had a profound impact over time, making life better on many levels—far beyond what we imagined when we started this project.
Initially, we tracked our goals in Google Sheets and made weekly FaceTime-calls. This worked until we fell out of the routine after a longer vacation. That’s when we realized we needed a better system. We wanted this app for ourselves—a tool we’re excited to use and improve over time to keep building habits that lead to long-term results.
Now, we want to help you and others achieve your goals—step by step—toward a higher quality of life. That’s why we created Goalness: We believe that accountability is a crucial key to success.
In the next blog, we will share how we use the Goalness strategy to create Goalness, block by block!