How to Achieve Your Goals in 2025 and Beyond

Happy Holidays!

This is the last newsletter of 2024. I can’t wait for 2025 and look forward to continuing to provide relevant content that helps you operate with more confidence and clarity.

I’ve spent some time thinking about what to write about in 2025, and you all get to choose what’s next! Pick one topic you’d like to read about in the next two weeks:

If there is something you want to learn more about to grow your career, shoot me a note and let me know.

How To Execute Your Career Strategy

Data says 92% of you will fail to achieve your goals next year. Why? Goals are often exciting but become so big they can feel paralyzing.

Today, I will walk through a system I’ve adopted that can help you change that statistic in 2025. Here’s a template to get you started.

At the core of this approach is the strategy pyramid, starting with purpose.

Purpose defines your destination, but it won’t get you there alone. You need a plan—goals, strategies, and tactics—to guide your journey.

Enter the Clear-Eyed Operating System. Inspired by the Scrum product development method, it’s a framework to help you break big ambitions into actionable steps.

Let’s dive in.

The Challenge With Big, Audacious Goals

Big ambitions like writing a book, getting a promotion, or starting a business are inspiring but can also feel daunting.

Without a plan, these ambitions can feel like staring up at a mountain with no path forward.

The solution: breaking your vision into manageable steps.

A Three-Tier Goal System

Last week, I shared the aspirational belief that “I am a writer.” My vision is that writing creates opportunities for me to have fulfilling and flexible career options. Right now, I write random posts on LinkedIn and create a newsletter for ~150 people. It’s more of a dream than a reality.

How can I break that into manageable pieces?

There are three levels of specific, time-bound goals: long-term, short-term, and sprint.

• Long-Term Goals (1-4 year horizon)

  • Moon shots

  • Feel unachievable today, but it can happen with significant fortune and luck.

  • Makes you very uncomfortable.

  • My example: Publish a book in 4 years

• Short-Term Goals (1 month - 1 year horizon)

  • Stepping stones

  • Challenging but actionable milestones that create momentum towards your long-term vision.

  • Makes you feel slightly uncomfortable

  • My Example: Publish a weekly newsletter and grow to 1,000 subscribers by Jan 1, 2026.

• Sprint Goals (1 week - 1 month horizon)

  • Quick wins

  • Feels achievable with some effort.

  • Small, focused task that moves you forward one step at a time.

  • My Example: Write two posts on goal-setting and increase subscribers from 150 - 175 through sharing content regularly on LinkedIn.

Why it works:

• Long-term goals: Inspire you to dream big.

• Short-term goals: Make the big goals feel achievable.

• Sprint goals: Help you focus on what’s actionable today.

Translating Goals to Actions

Translating goals to daily execution requires adopting principles from Scrum. Scrum is an agile framework that helps product development teams break down complex projects into small, manageable tasks.

YOU are the product of your career. So why not apply a well-researched and highly utilized product development strategy to your career?

Let’s break down how.

1. Sprints: Time-Box Your Effort

Focus your energy on a small number of attainable goals for a set period (1-4 weeks).

• Example: Spend two weeks writing three LinkedIn posts with the goal of gaining 25 new subscribers.

• Pro Tip: Align your sprints with life events. Start after a long weekend and finish before a vacation to pair accomplishment with celebration. Here’s a calendar for inspiration.

2. Use a Backlog

Your short-term goals should serve as your backlog: the place you return to as you set sprint goals.

• Pro Tip: Adjust your goals as you go. Sometimes, what once felt challenging becomes attainable as you build momentum. Don’t be afraid to aim higher.

3. Daily Check-In

Spend 5-10 minutes every morning reflecting on what you need to accomplish that day to progress toward your sprint goal.

• Pro Tip: Use the Eisenhower Matrix to prioritize tasks and set aside time for the not urgent, important tasks that help you work towards your goal. My former colleague Dmitry wrote an excellent guide on time blocking in his newsletter this week.

4. Sprint Review

At the end of your sprint, reflect on your progress. Ask yourself:

1. What worked well?

2. Where did I struggle?

3. What will I do differently next time?

Document your lessons to consistently improve. Tracking progress keeps you motivated as you can reflect on your achievements over time.

Final Takeaway: Start Small

To start executing your long-term goals, begin small: Spend 5 minutes each morning reviewing your goals and planning your day.

Try the Clear-Eyed Operating System, see what works, and adjust as you go.

I promise you’ll see the compound effects and you’ll make significant progress toward your goals in 2025.

You’ve got this!

Thank you for a great 2024. Your engagement, feedback, and support have meant so much. Here’s to making 2025 even better!

Wishing you a happy, healthy New Year!