The Best of Forge 2019
4 Ideas for Setting Goals That Stick
Forge’s best tips of the year for tackling projects, large and small
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In the thick of resolution season, it’s easy to get swept up in the standard system of setting goals: 1) Identify the thing you want to do; 2) Then do the thing. With any luck, the next step is reveling in the fact that you did it. But as everyone seems to re-remember, come February, sticking with new behaviors is rarely so simple. Below, some of Forge’s best advice on how to actually achieve your objectives, whether they’re personal or career-related.
New Research Confirms the Cheesiest Cliché About Success by Kate Morgan
There’s a certain satisfaction in learning that something you already knew is now backed up by research. In this case, that something is a phrase adorning motivational posters in school guidance counselor offices around the country: “Life is about the journey, not the destination.” According to one recent study, adopting this mindset is one way to keep yourself motivated, even through failure.
To Do Big Things, Take on Microprojects by Herbert Lui
Rome wasn’t built in a day, as the saying goes. Neither was your startup. Or your new hobby as a marathon runner. Or your flawless system for maintaining inbox zero. This piece offers a useful reminder that the best way — really, the only way — to get things done is to buckle down and do them, one small chunk at a time.
Write Down Every Compliment You Get by Lauren Sieben
To keep yourself on track for your goals in a way that doesn’t feel like homework, allow us to suggest the Good Shit board, a visible, tangible assemblage of your accomplishments (and all the nice things people have said about them). Moving forward is easier when you can look back and see all that you’ve already done.
How Tracking My Excuses Helped Me Stop Making Them by Leigh Stein
When you’re tackling a big project, whether it’s getting in shape or writing that novel, it’s fine to take days off — in fact, it’s necessary. But logging when you do will help you understand where you’re getting stuck. The Excuses Spreadsheet is a kinder, gentler spin on accountability, one that gives you room to take a breath while simultaneously nudging you in the right direction.
