Your Best Year Ever, Chapter 9: Achievements and Habits Work Together

0:02Well, hey there. First of all, thank you. You're nearing the end of your best year ever on this podcast and I'm thrilled to have been with you on this journey. And I truly hope you found immense value in what you've heard. And remember, while listening provides insights, having the book in hand lets you constantly refer back to it, ensuring that the lessons stay with you throughout the year. There are detailed exercises in the physical book designed for you to take a deep dive into the content. It's a tool that you can use repeatedly to recalibrate, refocus, and get your best year ever, every year.

0:39And here's something exciting. For those of you who buy the book before December the 31st, 2023, there's a special bonus I wanna tell you about. So head over to yourbestyeareverbook.com, input your order number, and in return, I'm gonna give you a free ticket to our biggest virtual event of the year. It's called Your Best Year Ever Live. Now, this isn't just another event. It's a chance for you to delve deeper into the book's content and expand on it and make sure that you actually apply it to your life. So imagine leaving that event with a full set of goals for the upcoming year, plus a solid plan on how to achieve them.

1:17Normally the tickets for that event, they go for$197, but with your book purchase, you get in for free. That's right. Absolutely free. It's my way of saying thank you and ensuring that you have everything you need for an incredible year. So if you're eager to make the most of the insights and you don't want to wait for the remaining podcast episodes, grab your copy from Amazon or Audible. Don't miss out. Secure your book and your free ticket to Your Best Year Ever Live at yourbestyeureverbook.com. Hope to see you there. Chapter 9. Achievements and Habits Work Together. I was taught that the way of progress was neither swift nor easy.

2:00Marie Curie Don't sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them. Madam C.J. Walker Suzanne is in the best shape of her life. She began running regularly in her 30s and completed her first marathon a few years later. Looking for a challenging, inspiring goal when she turned 40, she decided to run 50 marathons in 50 states by her 50th birthday. She calls it her 50 divided by 50 times 50 challenge. And she's well on her way. Now 44, she's already checked 20 states off her list. Richard retired from active Air Force duty five years ago and now teaches history at his local community college.

2:41After noticing students lacked both critical thinking and the social skills necessary for leadership, he met with his advisory board about the problem. Agreeing on the need, the board asked him to create a new leadership curriculum in time for the fall semester. Richard took a sabbatical to work on the project, finished over the summer, and started teaching the new course on schedule. When Tom worked out a proprietary color pairing system for his interior decorating business, his partner, Isabel, had an idea. She found a developer who helped them create a mobile app that used phone or tablet cameras to match colors and suggest options for coordinating palettes.

3:16It took several months to work out the kinks. But after input from beta users, they set a March 1st launch date. They're on track to beat it by two weeks. Each of these hypotheticals, the 50 divided by 50 times 50 challenge, the leadership curriculum, and the app launch represent a one-time accomplishment. You'll recognize the key features. Each has a clear, definable scope and time frame for completion. We can think of these as achievement goals. But there's another kind of goal we also need to consider. Bill and Nancy have an awesome marriage. It's not just that they were lucky and married the right person.

3:51is that they have intentionally cultivated intimacy. As simple as it sounds, they have gone on a date night every week for more than two decades. This habit has provided a context in which they can have deep, meaningful conversations about the things that matter most. Spencer is healthy and fit. Whenever he goes in for his annual physical, his doctor is amazed. He has continued to improve for each of the last five years. The surprising thing is that Spencer just turned 65 last year, but his health is not an accident. It all started when he began to cultivate the habit of strength training four days a week.

4:27Claire has built a seven-figure digital business in just three years since she lost her job due to layoffs. You might be tempted to ride off her success to the fact that she stumbled onto a great idea at exactly the right time. Certainly that played a role. But if you ask her the secret to her success, she would chalk it up to her habit of making five calls every single week to close a sale, make a new connection in her industry, or pitch her business. Unlike the first three examples, these last three don't have a defined scope or limited time frame. Instead, they represent ongoing activity. These are called habit goals.

5:02Both achievement and habit goals can help us design the future we want, especially if we can get the right mix and leverage their differences. Distinctions with a Difference As the examples above illustrate, achievement goals are focused on one-time accomplishments. They might target paying off your credit cards, hitting a financial benchmark, or finish writing a novel. It's essential that achievement goals include deadlines. Habit goals, on the other hand, involve regular, ongoing activity, such as a daily meditation practice, a monthly coffee date with a friend, or walking each day after lunch.

5:37There's no deadline as such because you're not trying to accomplish just one thing. You're trying to maintain a practice. Instead, there's a start date, which triggers initiation. Listen to the three corresponding achievement and habit examples in the following list for a quick comparison. Following the SMARTER framework, the achievement goals on the table are specific, measurable, and time-bound, all of which drive focus and effort. When the deadline is up, we know we've achieved the goal or not. Achievement goals. Run my first half marathon by June 1st. Increase sales revenue 20 % by the close of the third quarter.

6:16Read 50 books this year by December 31st. Habit Goals Run 3 miles on weekdays at 7 p.m. starting January 15th. Call 4 new client prospects each week beginning March 1st. Read 45 minutes each evening at 8 p.m. beginning immediately. The Habit Goals I've enumerated also follow the SMARTER framework. That's essential for knowing what activity we are trying to maintain and the desired frequency. While habit goals do not include deadlines, they should still be time-bound. The most effective habit goals have four time keys. 1. Start date. This is when you intend to begin installing the habit. 2. Habit frequency.

7:00This is how often you will observe the habit. It could be daily, specific days of the week, weekly, monthly, and so on. 3. Time trigger. This is when you want to do the habit. It could be a specific time each day or day of the week. It could also be tied to another regular occurrence like after breakfast or before I get in bed. It is easier to become consistent if you can do the habit at the same time each time. Number four, streak target. This is how many times in a row you must do the habit before you can consider it installed. That is, once the activity becomes second nature. With most habit goals, you can stop focusing on them once that happens.

7:41The risk factor comes from maintaining your streak. Installing a habit takes a period of time, and it might be longer than you think. I'll come back to this idea in step four. If you're looking for help at writing effective habit goals for yourself, the sample goal templates in the print edition of the book have those time keys baked in. I've also included several goal detail pages from the Full Focus Planner, which include a streak tracker to check off your progress. Which works best? If you're looking to create eight annual goals, you should probably have a mix of both achievement and habit goals.

8:13The trick is to know when and how to use them. An achievement goal works for any project with a definable scope or a limited time frame. Let's say you want to increase your income. You can put some definition on that and set a deadline for yourself. You can set an achievement goal like this. Increase sales commissions by 20 % by the end of the fiscal year. Or let's say you want to launch a new business. You can set an achievement goal like this. Launch consultancy by June 1st. Meanwhile, a habit goal works for desires without a definite scope or a limited time frame. Let's say you want to grow closer to God or become more spiritual.

8:47That's not a one-time accomplishment. That reflects an ongoing reality. You could set a habit goal like this. Spend 20 minutes a day in Bible reading and prayer, five days a week at 6 a.m. beginning January 1st and do it for 70 days in a row. Or let's say you want to develop more intimacy with your spouse. You could set a habit goal like this. Take my spouse out for dinner and an evening of conversation once per week on Friday nights at 6 p.m. beginning March 1st and do it for 52 weeks straight. Another way to use habit goals is as a means to complete an achievement goal. Let's say, for example, you want to write a 50 ,000-word book by June 30th.

9:24You could identify several next steps, or you could focus on simply installing a writing habit. For example, write 500 words a day, five days a week at 6 a.m. beginning on February the 1st and do it for 20 weeks straight. Or maybe you want to get out of debt. This is a worthwhile achievement goal that requires strong habits. You can, for instance, set a payoff schedule, an achievement goal. But that effort will be substantially supported by some frugal habits, such as eating in rather than out, or walking in your neighborhood instead of paying for the gym. Another example. Let's say you want to increase your revenue by 30 % before year-end.

10:00To reach that target, you'll need a strategy. Remember the example of Claire from earlier in the chapter? To reach your achievement goal, you could set the following habit goal. Make five calls each week to qualified leads beginning January 1st and do it for 52 weeks. Different goals work for different people, and you can tailor your commitments to meet your personal, emotional, and psychological needs. For some people, an achievement goal around health is the last thing they need. For some, it provides the motivation to get moving. For others, it's easier to settle into a healthy routine with a habit and not worry about some overarching achievement goal.

10:35That's fine. And again, some people find a mix of both types helps them get what they're after. The great thing is that achievement and habit goals are flexible. You can structure them however you need. The main thing is to find what works for you. It might be obvious, or you might need to experiment and try out both to land on the best path. Hey, I just wanted to drop in here for a minute. Are you enjoying this chapter from your best year ever? If it provided motivation or clarity, would you consider leaving a review? Personally, I always check reviews before buying something on Amazon. That's why leaving an honest review is so important.

11:16It'd mean the world to me. So, if you're up for it, would you take just a couple of minutes, go to Amazon or go to Audible, maybe even both, and leave a short, honest review? Just search Your Best Year Ever and let me know what you think. Thanks so much. Breaking Bad Habits Lots of people are interested in breaking, not making, habits. And this might be you. If you have habits that might interfere with your goals, you'll likely struggle to experience your best year ever. You may, for instance, check your phone or social media too often, procrastinate on important projects, go to bed at irregular times, complain too often about life's difficulties, eat to manage stress or other emotions, eat between meals, drink more than you like, binge television shows, say yes to too many requests from others, gossip about others when you're with friends.

12:06These and other habitual behaviors are pervasive and persistent, and they can play havoc in our lives. You may have a desire to change these behaviors, and you might even stop them for a while, but then slip back into old patterns. Habits automate our behavior. That's a plus because it saves us the trouble of consciously thinking about and deciding on our activity. We mostly just do it, but that's a double-edged sword. Once our brain automates a behavior, it can be hard to dislodge. We're overriding our programming. Habits form when we respond to an activation trigger of some sort. Could be an item, an idea, whatever.

12:41Experience a reward and then repeat the action to experience a reward again. There are a number of neurological mechanisms at play, but the basic elements are these. Activation trigger, response, reward, repetition. The surest ways to break a habit are to either remove the trigger or change the response. Since the response is largely automatic, changing it can be challenging. It's doable, but sometimes people have better luck removing the trigger. Looking at our list above, for instance, we could say one way to avoid eating between meals would be to clear the pantry of snack food. To avoid checking social media, put your phone in a drawer so you can't reach for it easily.

13:18And to avoid gossiping with friends, take a break from hanging out with friends who prompt that behavior. These sorts of situational solutions work because they mute the cues to which we habitually respond. That often works better than willpower. If you're conscious of your response, you can change it by creating rules. For instance, establish the rule that before agreeing to any new commitments, you'll always say, let me think about it. I'll have to check my calendar and other commitments. Or you might establish a simple rule that you'll only eat when seated for one of three meals each day. That single rule bars emotional eating and snacking.

13:53Or you might establish a rule that for every complaint you make, you have to tweet something you're grateful for. And bonus, Just creating the rule can make you more aware of your behavior. The trick is to alter your normal response, essentially to create a new and more beneficial habit. Both of these strategies are versions of pre-commitment, deciding in advance what you'll do about either the trigger or your probable response to the trigger. Another popular pre-commitment device is establishing a penalty for the habit. The swear jar is a classic example. Agreeing to forfeit money to a cause you dislike can work as well.

14:29Professor Catherine Rendell, author of an acclaimed biography of John Donne, used this technique to beat procrastinating on her doctoral thesis. She agreed with a friend that if she failed to write a thousand words each day, she'd have to donate a hundred pounds to a donkey sanctuary. It really does work, she said. I don't want the donkeys to have my money. I only failed once. Of course, following through on your commitment might prove difficult. I talk about the role of accountability in step four. The right mix for you. What you're looking for is the mix of achievement goals and habit goals that's right for you.

15:04Look at your goal list. Maybe it's stacked too heavily with achievement goals. If that's the case, you might want to swap one or two with a habit goal. Maybe you have too many habit goals. Switch it up. And don't forget the benefit of using habit goals as next steps in achievement goals. That strategy works especially well when we hit the messy middle. That's where we're headed next, after your action plan. Step 3. Action Plan 1. Set your goals. Set 8 goals you want to achieve for the year. Make them smarter. Specific, measurable, actionable, risky, time-bound, exciting, relevant. Make sure you focus on the life domains where you need to see improvement.

15:48List just a few per quarter. That way you can concentrate your attention and keep a steady pace throughout the year. Number two, set goals in the discomfort zone. The best things in life usually happen when we stretch ourselves and grow. That's definitely true for designing our best year ever. But it runs counter to our instincts, doesn't it? Follow these four steps to overcome the resistance. Number one, acknowledge the value of getting outside your comfort zone. It all starts with a shift in your thinking. Once you accept the value of discomfort, it's a lot easier going forward. Number two, lean into the experience.

16:24Most of the resistance is in our minds, but we need more than a shift in thinking. By leaning in, we're also shifting our wills. Number three, notice your fear. Negative emotions are sure to well up. Don't ignore them. Instead, compare the feelings to what you want to accomplish. Is there a reward greater than the fear? Number four, don't overthink it. Analysis paralysis is real, but you don't need to see the end from the beginning or know exactly how a goal will play out. All you need is clarity on your next step. More on this in Chapter 13. Number three, decide on the right mix of achievements and habits.

17:01Achievement goals represent one-time accomplishments. Habit goals represent new, regular, ongoing activity. Both are helpful for designing your best year ever, but you need to decide on the right balance for your individual needs. The only right answer is the one that works for you.

17:21Well, hey there. it means the world to me that you've made it this far into the book. Clearly, you've got some exciting things in your future. I can't wait to cheer you on and have it your best year ever. I bet if you've made it this far, you really do feel like it's added a lot of value to your life. I mean, you wouldn't be listening this far if it hadn't, but would you be willing to share this with someone you know, somebody you care about? If so, just take a quick second, hit the share button and then send it to someone in your life that you want to have their best year ever.