When it comes to setting goals for the year, my approach has two parts.

1. The engine that powers all. These are habits and actions that I hold consistent from year to year. They are goals that don’t change (or slowly change), irrespective of what time of the year it is.
An example habit is my waking-up time (between 5:30am and 6am). An example action is my writing (I carry it year over year no matter what). Hold this thought for now.

2. The next few steps. It is impossible to know for certain what tomorrow holds, not to talk of a year, and let’s not mention decades. As a result, what I often focus on is what I refer to as “the next few steps.” This usually means that although I may not know a lot of things, I will focus on what appears to be clear that I should be focusing on next.

For example, towards the end of 2024, I saw an opportunity to lead a project at EY. I convinced the lead Partner that I could do it, but I knew I had a gap to fill. So, in planning my 2025, filling that gap (getting a Snowflake certification to get familiar with it) became top of my list. I got it in the first week of January, I think.

Another was completing my GMAT (I was applying to business school for a finance programme). It was a clear next step, as I had decided this was the year to start. So, I had a couple of goals on my list around this.

The point on this number 2 is probably clear: the next-step idea focuses one’s attention on only those things they can see today and have committed to getting done at some point in the next 12 months. So, if I don’t know, I don’t know, and I don’t bother about it. The year, however, will present different opportunities along the way; one must feel free to, and be flexible enough to, embrace such opportunities as they come.

Now, I separated 1 and 2 because I think things in number 1 are what some often wake up each year wanting to do. “I will get fit this year,” they say. “I will take more walks. I will wake up early. I will become a better friend,” etc.

In my view, those are lifestyle choices that shouldn’t change from year to year, or change less frequently. One shouldn’t just want to be fit in 2026 and not in 2027. One shouldn’t just want to be a great friend in 2026 and not in 2027. One shouldn’t just want to take more walks in 2026 and not in 2027.

Let me quickly clarify that the examples I’ve used so far are simply examples.

Everyone must determine, consciously, what would be in their number 1 versus number 2. For example, I have writing on that list; another person may decide that’s a number 2 item because they only need to write this year to achieve a certain thing and they don’t care anymore. So, what can help determine what should be on number 1?
Your Number 1 List

Your Number 1 List

two things to guide what to add – levers and habits
  • Things that can give you leverage in every area of your life. Imagine you didn’t have goals coming into a new month, a new year, or a new decade; what can you still do that would help you have a great life? One of the answers for me was early-morning waking. I have stuck to it.
  • Things that are best done habitually. Promotion at work is not habitual; it is a single-day event, even if you have to work for it over a period of time to get it. Instead of putting promotion on number 1, maybe putting things like “excellent delivery always” is better. If you build the habit of consistently delivering excellent outcomes, even if you don’t set a promotion goal, promotion will come. Note that it does help to include promotion in your number 2.

A few general notes about goals

  • Duration is Irrelevant: It makes no difference if goals are set for a year or half a year. In fact, if one reads my description of number 2, it should be clear that if the next steps that are known are only goals for the next four months and no more, then that’s fine.
  • The Calendar is Arbitrary: It makes no difference when you start to work on your next set of goals. I started working on my number 2 goals for 2025 in October of 2024 and started working on them then as well. There is no magic about 1 January, 19 October, or 4 April. The most important thing is that you get what you want. Putting undue emphasis on when you start working on it is a misplaced priority.
  • You Have Permission to Pivot: It’s okay to abandon a goal if one, down the line, finds information that demands it.

That’s how I think about goals, these days.