Ultimate Guide to Setting goals in 2022

Are you making some new year’s resolutions or setting goals in 2022?

I set new year’s resolutions every year. It’s one of my traditions every December. I spend a whole afternoon on one of the days between Christmas and New Years reflecting on the last year and making plans for the new one. 

In the past I have made the mistake of making my goals too difficult and consequently only manage to achieve a very small number of them.

However I have since learnt a much better method for setting goals which has a much higher rate of success. 

So if you also struggle to achieve your goals or stick to new year’s resolutions, read on to find out my top tips for how to achieve your goals this year. 

Less is more when setting goals in 2022

Once you get into goal setting, it’s easy to get carried away and set a goal for every aspect of your life. In past years I have often set over 10 goals for the year. Anything I was into that year ended up having its own goal. 

The problem with this is that I ended up with too many goals to keep track of and was never able to achieve them all. Plus because I had so many I found it overwhelming trying to decide which to focus on, and often end up doing nothing. 

Instead of setting unlimited goals, try to stick with a small number like 5. In order to do this, you will need to cut out goals which are not important to you. 

I have found 2 good ways to achieve this:

Firstly, you don’t need to set goals for things which you are already doing. For example, for years I set myself the goal to go to the gym 3 times a week. However after the first year this became a habit and I continued to go  3 things a week without thinking about it. In fact I would have gone whether it was an official goal or not. 

Secondly, you don’t need to set a goal for things which are just meant to be fun. I’ve found setting goals for certain hobbies often takes away my enjoyment. 

For example, I used to always set myself reading goals each year for the number of books I wanted to read including specific genres and authors to read. However after setting these goals I found I was more likely to get into a reading slump as I was forcing myself to read things I wasn’t in the mood for.  

I have now scrapped my reading goals completely and I read only for fun when I feel like it. 

By eliminating goals in both these categories, you should find it easier to cut down your goals to an achievable amount which are focused on the things you care about the most. 

Understand the why when setting goals in 2022

Once you have some ideas for goals it is important to think through why you have chosen them. If you can’t think of a good enough reason, scrap the goal and think again. 

Goals are tough. Creating new habits is tough. Putting yourself out of your comfort zone is tough. Unless you have a good reason for what you are doing, you are likely going to give up.

This is a good exercise because it helps you think through your motives for doing something. To achieve a goal you need to be intrinsically motivated. Don’t just pick a goal because someone else told you to or because everyone else is doing it. It needs to be something you care about.

I kept thinking I should get into meditation because everyone says it’s great for improving your wellbeing and controlling anxiety. However I eventually realised the reason I never did it was because meditation is something people say I should do, rather than something I was driven to do myself. It might be a goal of mine eventually, but not this year. 

Make goals achievable

Another issue I’ve had in the past is setting goals that are too aspirational. I’m prone to setting goals where I have to do something a certain number of times per week or per month. 

The problem with this is that at some point in the year there is always a week or a month where I can’t do it for whatever reason. And then I’ve failed at the goal. 

When setting goals in 2022, think about whether you can realistically achieve a goal before you set it. Instead of setting strict goals about how many times you will go to the gym per week, factor in some slack.

So “I will go to the gym 3 times a week” becomes, “I will go to the gym, on average, 2 to 3 times a week”. That way you can take a week off when you are sick or on holiday without failing the goal. 

This is important to me because I don’t like failing my goals. 

Another common issue is to overestimate what you can do in a year. For example, a big goal like writing a book or starting a business can often take more than a year to achieve. Or you may set yourself too many smaller goals and not have time to do everything. 

To avoid this, cut down on the number of goals (see my previous tip) and make sure you plan how you can achieve your goal (see my next tip). 

Plan how to are going to achieve your goal

If you actually want to succeed at the goals you have set, the first thing you need to think about is how you will do it. 

All goals can be broken down into simple steps. Follow the system you have laid out and achieve the goal. You need to think about what those steps are for your goal and how you can make it possible for you to stick to them.

For example, if your goal is to write a book. You need to work out how many words you need to average per week to get it written. Then you need to think about how many words you can write per sitting and how many times a week you can find time to write. 

Think about a process that will work for you. Are you going to get up an hour earlier each day to write before work? Or will you write only once a week but plan for that session to take up your saturday morning each week.

Thinking through this process should also give you an idea of the effort/sacrifice required to achieve that goal. If you think it’s going to be too difficult, you don’t have to give up the goal but maybe you make it easier? Aim to write a book in 2 years instead of 1 year. 

Another way you can increase your chance of success is to plan ideas in advance. This works if you have a goal around trying new things. Start a list of ideas of things to try, places to visit or activities you could invite friends along to. That way, when you are stressed out during the week, you don’t need to think of something to do, you can just consult your list. 

It’s a simple thing but it can really help you when life gets busy. 

Set a word for the year

In addition to setting goals, I like to set a word of the year to summarise my intentions for what I want to achieve that year generally. 

Goals can often change throughout the year as new things come up and life gets in the way. However having a word of the year is something you can use to guide you through your decision making, even if the specific goals change. 

It’s easier to remember a single word and you can keep coming back to it whenever you feel lost and need some direction. 

Need some inspiration? I’ve brainstormed some words that you might want to use:

• Adventure
• Wellbeing
• Kindness
• Focus
• Consistency 
• Growth
• Connection
• Recovery

I would also recommend checking out this article all about how to set a word of the year if you are interested in finding out more. 

My Goals

I am of course setting goals in 2020 myself. My word of the year is discomfort. This might seem at first glance an odd word to pick. However it represents the idea of pushing myself out of my comfort zone.  I want to try new things, visit new places and take more risks. 

Trying new things is fun but it’s also scary. In order to do these things I’ve realised I need to embrace the feeling of discomfort. 

With this in mind, I have also set myself the following 5 goals for the year. 

1. Travel to at least 3 different countries
2. Buy a new item of clothing every month (on average)
3. Aim to go running every week
4. Find and sign up for a volunteering opportunity
5. Continue blogging – aim to post 2 -3 times a month. 

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Thank you for reading and I hope this post inspires you when setting goals in 2022. Let me know what you hope to achieve and what your word of the year is!