The Eternal Struggle: Why Setting Good Goals is Surprisingly Hard

And The Art of Actually Sticking to Your Plans Without Losing Your Sanity

Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash

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Every January, I convince myself this year will be different. I’m going to wake up at 5 AM, write 1,000 words before breakfast, run a 10K at lunch, and study Spanish for an hour at night.

Fast forward three weeks: my untouched notebook is judging me from across the room, my running shoes are gathering dust, and my Spanish? Let’s just say my best sentence is a cursed mix of Spanish and Japanese.

Sound familiar? The good news: this isn’t a personal flaw. The bad news: our goal-setting strategies might be working against us. After years of trial, error, and the occasional existential crisis, I’ve found three common reasons why goals fall apart — and what actually works instead.

Problem #1: Goal and Habit Tracking Are Habits Themselves

Ever set a goal like read every day or study Japanese only to realize weeks later that you completely forgot to track it? That’s because tracking is its own habit. And if you don’t build that first, your goal quietly fades into oblivion — like an empty planner forgotten at the bottom of…