Why Goals Are Overrated (And What Works Better)
Happy New Year!
Before we dive in, a quick reminder: the new Atomic Ambition live cohort kicks off on Tuesday, 28th January. This is your chance to join other professionals and leaders as they map out their next big career move and the roadmap to achieve it. Find out more here.
(Newsletter subscribers get $200 off – use code: NEWSLETTER).
I’m also hosting a free career planning masterclass on Sunday, 12th January at 12pm (London time). If you’d like to learn how to supercharge your impact, income, and influence in 2025, register for Unstuck and Unstoppable here.
Now, onto today’s newsletter…
Priorities, Not Goals
It feels almost compulsory to write about goal-setting at the start of the year.
But this year, I’m flipping the script. Because goals are end results. They’re outcomes. And simply deciding you want a specific outcome doesn’t work on its own.
Instead, I am focusing on priorities.
Why? Priorities are input-based – they centre on what you do.
Goals are outcome-based and often hinge on factors outside your control.
By setting clear priorities, you can make better decisions throughout the year.
Whenever I’m faced with a choice, I will ask myself: Is this aligned with my priorities?
That’s not to say I don’t have goals, but focusing on priorities seems to work better for me. Here’s how:
My Five Priorities for 2025
Here are my priorities, and how they align with the outcomes (goals) I want to achieve:
Diet → To stay healthy and look good.
Sleep → To maintain good mental health.
Exercise → To stay strong and increase longevity.
My business → To grow my professional impact.
Relationships → To deepen connections with the people I care about.
Let me explain how I’m approaching each of these:
Diet
My priority is to eat healthily most of the time – which, for me, means about five days out of seven.
Here’s what that looks like:
Mainly whole foods
No sugar
No alcohol
It’s definitely not about perfection, I do want to enjoy my life too 😀.
It’s just a focus on better choices more often.
Sleep
My priority is eight hours of good sleep most of the time.
“Good sleep” for me means:
Over 1.5 hours of deep sleep and 2 hours of REM sleep.
Ideally, waking up before my alarm (still working on this one!).
I have been tracking my sleep for the last two years using Eight Sleep – and absolutely love it.
Exercise
My exercise priority is to work out more days than I don’t.
As I’m now 46, maintaining strength and cardiovascular fitness is essential for my long-term health.
Specifically:
At least 30 minutes in the gym, every other day.
Focus areas:
Building muscle (progressively heavier weights).
Boosting VO2 Max (Zone 2 and Zone 5 training, usually on an exercise bike).
My Business
I’m now two years into my business since I left my Partner and Head of People role at KPMG.
My business priority is to grow the three main elements in this order of focus:
I’m happy with my pricing, having developed that over 2024, so growth for me primarily means more activity.
Atomic Ambition: Scaling through this newsletter and LinkedIn. Plus creating a self-serve option (in addition to the current live cohort option).
Corporate Training: Expanding via existing client relationships and, for the first time, direct outbound marketing. Plus increasing the scale of the work I’m doing each time.
Executive Coaching: I’ll maintain my current level of 1:1 clients, sourced from this newsletter, LinkedIn, and Pelham Street.
Relationships
This priority is about two things:
1. Deepening relationships with people who matter most.
Scheduling regular in-person meetups (e.g. dinner with my brother).
Making more spontaneous calls and sending voice notes – something I started on Christmas Eve and loved.
2. Bringing curiosity back into social interactions.
I’ve noticed that my coaching and training work demands so much curiosity that I sometimes lose it in personal conversations. This year, I want to rediscover that curiosity outside of work.
Why Priorities Work Better
Here’s the key advantage of focusing on priorities: they guide your decisions in the moment.
Every day, we face dozens of small choices – whether to scroll social media or get to the gym, whether to grab a quick snack or cook a proper meal, whether to stay up late or go to bed on time.
When you’re clear on your priorities, these choices become easier. Instead of relying on willpower, you have a framework to measure against: Does this align with what matters most?
For example:
If I’m tempted to work late, I will remind myself of my sleep priority and its impact on my mental health and productivity.
If I’m deciding whether to say yes to a new project, I will check it against my business priority. Does it help grow Atomic Ambition, Corporate Training, or Executive Coaching? If not, it’s probably a no.
If I’m invited to something social, will it help with my relationships priority? For example, is it the type of activity in which I can have great conversations, or a brilliant, shared experience?
This approach also creates a powerful compounding effect. By consistently choosing in alignment with my priorities, I expect to make steady, meaningful progress toward the outcomes I want – without feeling overwhelmed or stretched too thin.
That’s It!
I started this approach in 2023, and I’ve found that focusing on priorities gives me clear direction and helps me feel more in control of my progress.
What are your priorities for 2025? Hit reply and let me know – I’d love to hear from you.
One Quote to Get You Going
“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.”
That’s all for today.
See you in a couple of weeks,
Mostyn
P.S. The boldest moves in my career – pursuing Partnership at KPMG and later starting my own business – all started with clarity, courage, and action.
We focus on these in Atomic Ambition and we start on 28th January.
Find out if it’s the right fit for you here.
(Don’t forget to use code NEWSLETTER for $200 off.)
As you’ve made it this far, you should probably take a look at Atomic Ambition here.