BY: Hadley G. Roy H
Setting goals and achieving growth is often in the forefront of people’s minds, but especially when approaching the start of a new year. Why is it that most New Years’ resolutions fail, and in a matter of weeks or months people often fall short of goals they set for themselves?
To help you dominate in 2024, here are four key tips to achieve your goals and make big changes going forward.
1 HABIT STACKING First theorized by S.J. Scott and introduced to most Americans in James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, habit stacking is an ingenious goal-achievement solution. Habit stacking is a method of behavioral change where new habits are paired with automatic behaviors. This pairing of an old habit with a new makes it easier to remember new activities, until those become habitual as well. To try habit stacking for yourself, start by taking inventory of all the tasks on any given day (for instance, making a cup of coffee each morning at 8:30), then select a manageable new habit to attach to that existing activity (writing a to-do list for the day). It’s rare to forget about making that first cup of coffee in the morning, so by attaching the activity to the new to-do list habit, the “habit stack” can help hack your routines and drive productivity gains in the new year.
2 S.M.A.R.T. First introduced by George T. Duran in a 1980s issue of Management Review, S.M.A.R.T. provides a valuable framework for selecting and articulating goals. “Smart” goals are specific, measurable, assignable, realistic and time-related. In other words, they are goals that aren’t so broad or unattainable as to be overwhelming. These goals can be proven successful by a predetermined metric, and are time-bound rather than clouded in an ambiguous “someday.” Try writing down existing goals in the S.M.A.R.T. format to take big, ambiguous dreams and turn them into manageable steps for you to achieve.
3 NUDGE THEORY In their landmark book Nudge, Richard Thaler and Cas Sunstein introduced the idea of nudge theory. The theory is built on mental heuristics pioneered by decision scientists like Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, and focuses on how to influence decision making in non-restrictive ways. For example, Thaler and Sunstein discuss how the order food is presented in a cafeteria can influence how healthy or unhealthy people’s meal choices are, even without changing the food itself that is offered. To apply nudge theory for 2024 goal setting and habit building, work to create as little friction for new goals as possible. If, for example, one of your goals is to reduce your environmental impact in 2024, consider putting paper towels in an inconvenient location and a reusable swap somewhere convenient, tricking your brain into making the optimal choice without effort.
4 FOSTER ACCOUNTABILITY Once you’ve set reasonable goals, started stacking your habits, and smoothed the way to progress with nudge theory, there’s a final step to encourage achievement in 2024 and that is fostering accountability. Consider telling a family member or close friend what you hope to achieve and ask them to check in periodically. Or, if you like, consider using some kind of visual representation of your progress to stay accountable to yourself. If your goal is to build customers for a new business, consider putting a check mark on every calendar day where you contacted a potential new client— creating a visual reward for progress and encouraging you to keep on dominating! X
Hadley Roy H. is an Analytics Manager at Campbell Ewald, where she specializes in user experience optimization and creative analytics. She also runs @Just_Had_Tea on Instagram. Hadley lives with her husband, their 13 houseplants, and two sourdough starters in Southeast Michigan.
