How to Set Goals and Actually Keep Them
Most goals do not fail because they were wrong. They fail because they quietly fade from view. These ten habits keep your goals in front of you long enough to reach them.
Keep your goals by making them specific, writing them down regularly, breaking them into weekly actions, scheduling time for those actions, telling someone who will hold you accountable, tracking progress where you can see it, reviewing them on a set rhythm, celebrating small wins, learning from people who have done it and expecting setbacks without quitting.
Almost everyone sets goals. Far fewer reach them. In my experience, the difference is rarely talent or even motivation. It is attention. A goal written once in January and never looked at again does not stand a chance against the urgent work of every ordinary week.
I wrote my book in whatever downtime I could find, at the gym, on drives to my kids’ sporting events and between games, while running companies. It did not happen because I had more time than anyone else. It happened because the goal stayed in front of me every week. Here are ten habits that keep goals alive.
How to set goals and keep them
- Make it specific. “Get better at presenting” is a wish. “Present at three team meetings this quarter” is a goal.
- Write it down often. Not once. Revisit and rewrite your goals regularly so they stay top of mind.
- Break it into weekly actions. Big goals are reached through small, repeated steps.
- Schedule the time. Put the next step on your calendar like a meeting. A to-do list is easy to ignore; a time block is not.
- Tell someone. An accountability partner or group makes it harder to quietly let the goal slide.
- Track progress visibly. A simple tracker on your desk or phone keeps momentum real.
- Review on a rhythm. A short weekly check and a monthly reset keep the goal current.
- Celebrate small wins. Each milestone builds belief for the next one.
- Learn from people who have done it. Books, podcasts and conversations with people ahead of you shorten the path.
- Expect setbacks. Missing a week is not failing. Quitting is. Start again on Monday.
Why goals fade
Goals fade because life is loud. Urgent work, other people’s priorities and simple fatigue push them aside. That is why the most important goal-keeping habits are about visibility and rhythm, not willpower. If you see your goal every day and act on it every week, it survives. If you rely on remembering it, it usually does not.
Keep a log of what you learn
For about a decade, I have kept a log of anything of value I hear: ideas from books, podcasts and conversations, stories people tell me. Every so often I sort it into categories so I can find it when I am writing or helping someone. It is one of the most useful habits I have, because it means the best ideas I come across do not disappear. If you are working toward a goal, keep a place for what you are learning along the way.
Most people leave too early
The biggest reason goals are not reached is not that people fail. It is that they stop just before the results start to show. Progress is often invisible at first, then sudden. Commit long enough to find out. I wrote about that in Most People Do Not Fail. They Leave Too Early.
Setting goals that stretch you and following through on them is a theme of my signature keynote, You Are Capable of More. For a free tool to make one specific commitment with a date, see The Promise on the book’s site.
Goals fade because life is loud, not because people lack talent. Make them specific, keep them visible, break them into scheduled weekly actions, tell someone, track progress, celebrate small wins and do not quit when you miss a week.
Frequently asked questions
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You Are Capable of More
A No-Excuses Guide to Becoming Your Best Self. The bestselling book behind Chris’s keynotes and the 2026 Paris Book Festival winner in the How-To category. Many teams hand a copy to every seller at their kickoff.
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