How to conquer that elusive goal (2024)

Hey there —

We all have that one elusive goal.You know, the one you’ve attempted more times than Sean Combs (aka Puff Daddy, aka P Diddy, aka Brother Love) has changed his name. 👀

You swore this was the year you were going to run a half-marathon, write that book, or grow your savings account…only to get off track after a few months, weeks, or even days.

And yet, you’ve probably had plenty of other kickass accomplishments in 2022. Maybe you graduated college, bought a house, or kept all your plants alive. 🪴

So, why is it that some goals seem to be achievable, while others feel doomed to remain a pipe dream?

It could be because you haven’t broken those big picture goals down into daily habits.

Goals are a brilliant way to identify what you want in life. But they don’t work well when unforeseen circ*mstances upend your plans (which, as we all know, happens often). To get you through the inevitable rough patches, you need something more.

That’s where habits come in.

Habits are far more valuable than goals, because they allow you to accomplish things on autopilot — and they’re much more resistant to interference from external forces.

As Tiny Habits author BJ Fogg says: “If you plant the right seed in the right spot, it will grow without further coaxing.”

The habit is your seed — if you pick the right small behavior and integrate it into your daily routine, you won’t need external rewards to motivate you.

The good news is, you can fast-track the process of turning goal-directed behavior into a habit. Here’s how:

Focus on who you want to become

“What you do now is a mirror image of the type of person you believe that you are.”

If you believe you’re someone who’s impulsive and irresponsible with money, you’ll struggle to make smart financial decisions. But if, as Clear advises, you decide who you want to be and then prove it to yourself through small actions — like moving $10 from every paycheck into savings — you’ll begin to forge a new identity that will help you accomplish even more.

Set process goals, not outcome goals

Outcome goals (“I’m going to run a 5k in 4 months!”) focus on the destination. The problem? Factors outside your control, like illness or injury, can prevent you from achieving them. On the other hand, process goals (“I’m going to run 3x a week.”) focus on the steps you take. Which means simply showing up = a win. And if obstacles do appear, it’s merely a momentary delay, not a total derailment.

Break it down into daily behaviors

Take your newfound identity and process-focused mindset and turn your lofty goals into manageable daily tasks. So if you want to write a book, commit to writing 200 words a day or for 30 minutes a day. These small behaviors are far less overwhelming and will turn into habits that compound over time.

Goals are great. They’re what get us into a state of intentional action in the first place. But the key is to approach goals not as a destination you reach, but as something you do everyday.

By turning your goals into habits, they become second nature. And, before you know it, that positive seed you planted will blossom into the outcome you desired all along. 🌷

by Emily Torres

ArticleFinances

As the opening of this article states, “worrying about money is valid” — after all, we need money to take care of many of our basic needs. But thankfully, it is possible to find a balance between spiraling into anxiety and simply crossing our fingers.

If the numbers in your bank account are stressing you out, this article offers some gentle encouragement that you’re not alone, and an empowering, practical guide to improving your financial wellbeing.

This famous quote has nothing to do with productivity

by @bookishseawitch

TweetProductivity

“What are you going to do with your one wild and precious life?”

It turns out this single line from a Mary Oliver poem, often used as a motivational quote to get out there and do something…wasn’t meant to be about productivity at all.

Read the tweet (and the full poem) to find out what Oliver actually thought was a worthwhile use of your time.

You feel like sh*t: A self-care game

by Amanda Miklik & Jace Harr

ToolMental Health

Feeling 💩 and not sure what to do about it? This guided quiz will walk you through a series of questions to help you practice some self-care.

You’ll get targeted suggestions for activities and mindfulness exercises that can help you figure out what might be triggering your discomfort and how you can work through it.

QUESTION
Everyone is telling me I need to start investing. They say that if I leave my money sitting in a savings account, I'm just losing money, but I don't know where to look or who to trust when getting advice for how to start. I trust Slow Growth, though. Any advice on where and how to start?

-Henry P., Philadelphia, PA, USA

ANSWER
Once you’ve got your debt paid off (excluding your mortgage) it’s a great idea to start investing. And the good news is it’s really not as complicated as it sounds.

The first place you want to start contributing is your 401(k). These retirement accounts are a great option because they provide you with some tax benefits, and many employees will match a portion of your contributions (that’s free money!).

I personally invest my entire 401(k) into the Vanguard Target Retirement 2055 Fund. It’s a mutual fund that’s a diversified collection of stocks and bonds that adjusts its asset mix over time (becoming more conservative as I reach retirement).

This is actually the exact fund that finance expert Ramit Sethi (author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich) recently recommended to me.

Since the fund was created it’s returned an average of 8.79% per year. That means that if you invest $10,000 today and don’t touch it for 30 years you’ll have $125,218. This is wayyyy more money than you’d make in a savings account.

Of course there are no guarantees when it comes to investing and past performance doesn’t always indicate future returns. But if you take a long term view of your personal finances, and invest in a reputable target retirement fund, it’s hard to lose.

Now depending on your age, goals and financial situation, how you allocate your finances might be very different from me. After all, we’re talking about “personal” finance. But I hope this starts to give you an idea of how simple investing can be.

— Matt

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