Why You Suck At Goal-Setting, And How To Fix It (The No-Bullshit Guide)

Learn my quarterly ritual for setting—and crushing—more meaningful goals.

Q1 is done and dusted—unfortunately, so are most people’s goals. By now, many have already thrown in the towel on their New Year’s resolutions and annual targets. They’re left wondering, “Where the f* did time go?” Worse, some have even scrapped goal-setting altogether, convinced it just doesn’t work for them.

Luckily, none of that applies to me. After my latest quarterly review, I can proudly say I’ve seized every single month of 2025 so far—wrapping up another stellar quarter at nearly 90% of my goals. That’s five consecutive quarters of high performance, with no sneaky goal-altering or number-fudging along the way.

Here’s the proof:

• ✅ 2025 Q1: 88.3%

• ✅ 2024 Q4: 77.5%

• ✅ 2024 Q3: 90.9%

• ✅ 2024 Q2: 87.7%

• ✅ 2024 Q1: 84.6%

• ❌ 2023: 53%

• ✅ 2022: 75.5%

Generally, the “sweet spot” for goal success rates is 75–90%, indicating you haven’t over- or underestimated your potential. Excluding the year my son was born, I’ve stayed in that Goldilocks zone for over three years now. Do you realize what that means? I know how to bring about whatever I set my mind to. It’s not just about productivity; it’s about genuine agency over my life.

I like to say that personal productivity is a mistake without goals. I also like to say that giving up on your goals means giving up on your life. Put simply, goals truly matter!

So, what's my secret?

Honestly, there isn’t one — sorry to disappoint! I’ve spent the last decade refining my approach, experimenting relentlessly with different cadences, methods, and magnitudes. Being 35 also means life feels less volatile than it once did.

Sure, it took me close to a decade to get here, so I understand why people quit before they’ve mastered goal-setting. But it doesn’t have to be that way if you switch to quarterly goal cycles and iteratively refine your workflow.

Here’s the problem with annual goals: you only set them once a year, so feedback and improvement come at a snail’s pace. Quarterly goals, on the other hand, offer faster feedback loops and a realistic planning window. For example, over the last 27 months, I’ve done ten goal-setting workshops while most people have just completed two—I’ve “got the reps in” most folks spread out over a decade.

In other words, I believe that a black-belt in goal-setting is simply the one who never gave up. So, if you want to get better at it, do it more often and slowly tune your way to success. Today, I’ll share exactly how I set goals each quarter—and invite you to copy, adapt, and experiment.