This is Optimal Living Daily, episode 589. You've got your goals and your habits, but what about habit goals? I'm Kalen Bruce of moneyminiblog.com and I'm Justin Mollick, the guy that reads blog posts to you every single day, including weekends and holidays, with permission from the authors, of course. And we're now just nine days away from yet another book giveaway.
I give away at least one to a random person on my mailing list on the first of the month, but I also send a weekly newsletter with life tips, quotes, and what's going on in my life with a little picture. All of that is totally free if you come by oldpodcast.com and join the mailing list. I'll give you a reminder at the end, so for now, let's hear another post from Money Miniblog as we optimize your life. Both, right?
Aren't they both important? Or maybe this is where the go-to internet answer should be used? It depends. Well, it really does depend.
Both can be helpful, but both aren't always necessary. As I pointed out in Goals vs. Habits, if you had to choose, choose habits. But here's something even better.
How we think about goals. We've been taught to set smart goals. You know, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound, or something similar. And smart goals are great.
In fact, if you're going to set a goal, it should be smart, because you'll know exactly when you achieve it. The problem with vague goals is that you don't always know exactly when you hit the mark. That means that you don't know what you're aiming for, writing your goals down. Have you ever heard that only 3% of people write down their goals?
Is that true? And is it really that powerful? Well, the 3% may be true or may be made up, but there's power in writing down your goals. Your goals could be better.
Quote, Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going. Jim Rohn We're going to talk about habit goals in a moment, but first, a word on your current goals. In fact, you're super smart, and this is a simple concept, so I'm just going to briefly explain it, and then give you some examples.
I wouldn't say that your goals are overrated, but if they don't include a habit, they're not as effective as they can be. Don't set small goals that affect you for a short time. Set big goals that will change your life. To quote Jim Rohn twice in one section, Quote, The major value in life is not what you get.
The major value in life is what you become. Unquote. Your goals should turn into habits that change who you are, preferably for the better, or you're doing it wrong. Creating Habit Goals So what's a habit goal?
It's exactly what it sounds like. A habit goal is simply a goal to create a habit. That's it. It's not about accomplishing something one time.
It's ongoing. Habit goals can be tracked by counting the number and watching the consistency. It's pretty simple. So here's what that actually looks like.
Quote, I will run on the trail beside my house for 10 minutes three times a week, adding two minutes each week. Unquote. It's specific. It tells you exactly where to go and what to do.
And it's the foundation of a habit. In a few weeks, you'll be running almost twice as much because you're creating a habit. If you want to be a runner, run. If you want to be a writer, write.
To do those things, you need to form the right habits. The best way to hold yourself accountable is to turn forming the habit into a goal. Here are some more examples. Writing.
Saying you'll write a book this year is great, but breaking it down into how many words you need to write each day and then writing that many each day is better. Reading. Saying you'll read 20 books this year is good, but breaking it down into how many pages you need to read and then reading that many each day is better. Lifting weights.
Saying you want to bench 300 pounds is great, but breaking it down into how many times you need to lift each week and then lifting that many times each week is better. So I have a goal would look more like I will blank, X times a blank. Then you would have weekly and monthly reviews to measure your progress. Doing your calculations.
Of course, you need to know what you're actually striving for, so it's a good idea to keep the standard goal, such as I will lift X amount of weight by the end of the year. That's where you're going. The key is in dividing the goal into a daily or weekly habit. Figure out what you want to accomplish this year and then figure out what you need to do this month.
Then break it down until it becomes a habit. Think about it. If you want to lose weight, set a small weekly goal. It's fairly easy and very doable to lose one pound a week.
Figure out what you need to do to get there and how many weeks it will take you. That will give you an end point. Here's a final example of what I mean. If I eat healthy options, avoid liquid calories, and eat mindfully, I will lose one pound a week.
That means I will lose 20 pounds in 20 weeks. Therefore, 20 weeks from now, I will weigh 180 pounds, assuming you weigh 200 pounds now. It's that easy. Set a big goal that breaks down into a small habit.
You just listened to the post titled You've Got Your Goals and Your Habits, But What About Habit Goals? By Kalen Bruce of moneyminiblog.com My takeaway on this, besides the obvious one of breaking down a big goal in the smaller habits, is write it down. My brother has mentioned this in Optimal Health Daily also. Just pretend that if you don't write it down, it doesn't exist.
So do that right now if you can. It reminds me of the journal I started, a bullet journal, his are calling it. It's a mix of a daily planner, slash calendar, and habit tracker. Mixed with a diary too, if you want it to be.
It's pretty versatile. There's actually discussion in our Facebook group. By the way, the shortcut link is oldpodcast.com slash Facebook. Someone brought it up and a bunch of people agreed that a post about that kind of journaling specifically would be helpful.
So I'm going to do some research and see if I can find a good one that translates to audio well. That's probably going to be the hard part. But anyway, I'm planning to take a picture of mine to not only show you, but also for me to keep myself accountable. That picture will be in my next weekly newsletter, and if you're part of that, you're also entered into my book raffles.
So for that, come by oldpodcast.com and enter your email address. It's a nice way to show your support. That'll do it for the Saturday edition of OLD. Hope you're having a great weekend.
If you're listening in real time, have a great day, and I'll be back tomorrow where your optimal life awaits. Hey, this is Dan from the Optimal Finance Daily Podcast, which is a lot like this show, except more focused on personal finance. Justin handpicks the best posts he can find from blogs and authors like Ramit Sethi, Mr. Money Mustache, and more, and I read them to you five days a week.
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