In this episode, Niamh shares her personal approach to setting goals for the year ahead. Drawing on concepts from "The 12 Week Year," "Your Best Year Ever," and "The One Thing," she offers practical strategies to help you make your goals stick in 2025.
The beginning of the year is often a time for setting new goals, but many people find it challenging to make them a reality. Niamh draws on three books to provide a new perspective. From "The 12 Week Year," she suggests swapping a 12-month plan for a 12-week plan to bring a sense of urgency and focus to your work. This approach makes planning more predictable and helps you avoid the procrastination that can happen with a full year ahead. Niamh likes this method because it offers a sense of control and a "healthy urgency".
From "Your Best Year Ever," Niamh introduces SMARTER goals. In addition to the standard SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), Michael Hyatt adds "Exciting" and "Risky." Niamh explains that exciting goals provide the motivation to keep going when faced with roadblocks, while risky goals are "stretch goals" that help you grow. She also likes the idea of distinguishing between achievement goals (one-time accomplishments) and habit goals (things you build into your routine), noting that habit goals are necessary to achieve achievement goals.
Finally, from "The One Thing," Niamh discusses a new way to look at work-life balance and the importance of single-minded focus. She highlights the concept of "counterbalance" instead of "balance," which means focusing on one area at a time and then moving to the next, rather than trying to do everything at once. This approach gives you permission to focus on what's most important at any given moment. She also loves the idea of "unclenching," or relaxing the frantic pressure to do everything, and asking the "focusing question": "What's the one thing I can do such that by doing it, everything else will become easier or unnecessary?". This question is a powerful tool for prioritisation and helps you feel confident that you're spending your time in the best way.
The 12-Week Year: Focusing on a 12-week cycle brings energy and urgency to your goals.
SMARTER Goals: Goals that are Exciting and Risky will keep you motivated and help you grow.
Achievement vs. Habit Goals: Achievement goals are one-time wins, while habit goals are the daily actions that make them possible.
Counterbalance: Instead of trying to balance everything at once, focus on one area (like a work project) and then move on to the next (like your personal life).
Stop Annualised Thinking: Annual goals can lack urgency. Break your year into 12-week cycles to maintain focus and momentum.
No Plan B: The existence of a back-up plan can undermine your primary plan. Commit fully to a single plan to increase your chances of success.
Find Your Theme: Setting a theme or word for the year (like Niamh's word "nurture" for 2025) can act as an anchor and help you make decisions throughout the year.
Re-evaluate Your Language: Niamh is leaving behind the word "busy" because it makes her feel rushed and frantic. Consider if there are words you use that create unnecessary pressure.
Unclench: Stop trying to force success by working harder and instead, focus on doing the right things at the right time.
Here are some tools and references to support your journey:
The Better Workday Blueprint: A self-paced course for creating a sustainable and productive workday.
Welcome to The Better Workday Podcast with your host, Niamh Moynihan. Niamh is the founder of Better Workday. She will challenge you to think differently about how you manage your time, energy, attention and relationships at work to be successful while supporting your well-being.
In each episode Niamh shares new insights and practical ideas to help you create a better workday.
If you found this episode helpful, please share it with a friend or colleague who might also benefit from these tips. If you would like to support the podcast, please subscribe and leave a rating or review.
The Better Workday Podcast on Spotify
The Better Workday Podcast on Apple Podcast