A new method for goal setting

My method for self-improvement and setting goals is fast and easy; in our busy, unpredictable world.

I love this quote from Jordan Peterson:

“Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today”

Goals always leave a weird taste in my mouth this time of year.

I have struggled with goal keeping my whole life. I’ve tried many different methods with varying success, but nothing that lasts the entire year.

I know setting yearly goals work for most people. I have followed so many different goal methods, morning routines, planning hacks, etc.

So far none if them have stuck.

The demands of raising kids get in the way, routines and goals are interrupted by emergency ER visits, sudden fires at work; I just can’t keep chopping away!

So instead of giving up on self-improvement all together I came up with a different system that I’ve loved, so feel free to steal it if you like it.

In short, instead of focusing on a list of goals, I focus on my skills and traits. Let me explain.

The Method

Based on Jordan Peterson’s quote, each year I write down a scorecard for myself.

I focus on these four key categories:

Character

Home

Career

Personal

Then, I break down the list with 5–10 items in that category that I want to maintain, improve, and begin.

An example would be…

Character: Integrity, Kindness, Charity, Patience, Mindfulness

Home: Husband to Maren, Father to Hudson, Father to Henry, Father to Emmie, Father to Maxwell

Career: Project Management, SEO/SEM, Data Analysis & Analytics, Research, Social Media Marketing

Personal: Guitar Playing, Painting, Home Improvement, Podcasting, Health

I add them to my notebook or online spreadsheet like the example found here.

Then, I create a baseline on the first day of the year for where I honestly feel I fall on each trait and skill between 1–5.

Each week, month, or quarter I then review this list, update my scores with a new date, and watch my progress as I go.

If I am stagnant or my score drops, I set daily reminders for a week or two on my phone with the name of the trait or skill I’m not improving on.

I also break down my scores to display an overall score and a breakdown of the score from each of the four sections.

I have noticed that when I feel that I am struggling at work, personally, or at home, I almost always find my scores to be low in that area on my scorecard.

When I feel my best and like I am thriving, my scores are always at their highest.

This is an extremely simple method, but it has pushed me to improve in ways I’ve never improved before. I find it easy to maintain year round and extremely motivational, without getting overly focused on my daily routine. I am left free to improve day to day, and I know subconsciously that a new round of scoring will come soon.

Step-by-step

Step 1: Write down the core four categories (character, home, career, personal).

Step 2: Compile a list of new traits/skills under each.

Step 3: Add them to a notebook or this spreadsheet.

Step 4: Write a base score between 1–5 reflecting current proficiency (according to your gut).

Step 5: Come back each week, month, or quarter (or whenever you decide) to update your current score between 1–5.

Step 6: Any trait/skill that dropped, set as a daily reminder in your phone or calendar (just the word).

Step 7: When you are feeling stressed or down, go score yourself to see what area(s) is(are) being neglected. This will help you recenter and you will soon feel better.

Step 8: On especially good days go score yourself to see what areas are bringing you this type of joy.

Step 9: Adjust and adapt as the year goes on. Traits that don’t improve even with reminders may need to be dropped or reassessed, since it is clearly not important to you.

Step 10: At the end of the year, pull over the traits/skills that brought you the most joy and success to maintain, add the traits/skills you’d like to improve on, and add new traits/skills you’d like to begin working on the next year.

Tips for Picking Traits/Skills

As mentioned earlier, I like to set my trait goals by choosing from these three options: maintain, improve, and begin.

I’ve found that when I chose three to five goals with more weight on the maintain side of my traits, I feel more fulfilled and get easy wins that encourage me to keep improving.

Here is what I mean by each of these options.

Maintain: What trait or skill do I currently have that I would like to maintain the rest of this year?

Improve: What trait or skill do I have that needs improvement, and I would like to sharpen or improve upon this year?

Begin: What trait or skill do I not yet have that I would like to develop over the next year?

Keep in mind that a trait or skill should be broad and easy to score mentally. “Health” is better than saying “Can bench press 200 lbs”. Even though “Health” is very vague, right now on a scale from 1–5 you could rank your health. Even though you don’t have a scoring system, you can feel how well you are doing.

This subconscious knowledge is what makes us happy with ourselves or angry at ourselves.

Which is often why we give up on our goals. We could be making great progress, but inside we don’t feel that we’ve improved.

So let your internal voice tell you how you’re doing. It’s more motivating than anything put on the calendar or put into a strict daily routine.