Why Developing Habit Goals is a Better Strategy than Setting Goals

I have been doing a lot of reading on ways to set myself up for success in the new year to get the new year off on the right foot.

One trend I have been noticing is the focus on developing habit goals rather than the focus on goal setting itself.

If you think about it, developing habit goals is much more effective than setting goals because developing habits requires action, whereas goals don’t necessarily have a road map for how the goal will be accomplished.

Since 2008 I have been working in-house to promote and coach other professionals (CPAs and attorneys) by helping them to develop habit goals of writing consistently to develop their personal and firm brands through thought leadership.

Now that I am in the role of professional and marketing my own services, I need to focus not only on coaching others to develop this skill but also on developing my own writing habit goals.

I have always had to write in my professional life, but it has never been the most comfortable skill for me when it comes to myself, and with sharing my ideas as the thought leader. I am now learning to get comfortable with being uncomfortable as I know it will lead to growth.

My personal habit goal right now is to post original content on LinkedIn. It is a small step, but it is a step in the right direction for me to become a thought leader.

In a Ted Talk I read recently “Here’s how I finally got myself to start exercising,” by Christine Carter Ph.D., it discusses how to let yourself be mediocre at whatever you are trying to do, but to be mediocre every day.

The author says she got herself running again by committing to running every day for one minute. She says to abandon your grand plans, at least temporarily. She says you must allow yourself to do something so minuscule that it is only slightly better than doing nothing at all and that the moment you think you should do more is the moment you introduce difficulty.

We need to remember to move towards a habit goal each day, even if it is by the smallest of steps.

Your goal should repetition, not high achievement. Developing habits is hard and initiating a behavior is the hardest part.

What is your small step going to be today?