It’s a familiar cycle. We set a goal, tape it to our desk, and think real hard about it for a few weeks (or minutes, if you left email open). Then something happens. Whether it’s a move, a kid, a layoff, or lack of willpower, most of our goals derail.

Since this is such a shared pain point, SOCO figured what better time to chat about it than in January.

For the first Slack Session of 2019, we met up with a group of members in the #slack_sessions channel to chat through setting and achieving our 2019 goals.

Picking a target for the new year

Some members had big targets, others had small habits they wanted to improve. Things like:

  • Get into digital illustration
  • Cut out (gasp!) caffeine
  • Plan a few snowboarding trips
  • Bulk up various savings accounts (have you read through the Personal Finance session, yet?)
  • Coach a child to a basketball championship
  • Go through the mail every day
  • Take a full month off for vacation
  • Finish a book

Figuring out how the heck to get there

Once members know their goal, it’s less of a matter of what they want to achieve, and more about how. And a lot of members think small steps are the way to go.

How NOT to hit your goals

Just like you can set yourself up for success, you can also set yourself up for failure. If you want to ensure you don’t hit your goals, here are some foolproof ways to do that.

Members’ recipes for nailing goals

Thankfully, members have just as many ideas on hitting your goals as trashing them. When we asked what’s tipped them toward “nailed it” and away from “failed it” in years past, here’s what they had to say.

To reach a goal, you have to put in daily effort. And you want to make sure you have the kind of support system that encourages you to do that. Because doing the work day in and day out? That’s far from easy.

Hey you, don’t miss the next Slack Chat!

If you’re already a member, make sure you’ve joined the #Slack_Sessions channel. It’s where we post updates about topics, times for the next chat, and other related info.

If you’re not a member, how about scheduling a free tour? You’ll get to check out our space, meet a few members, and see for yourself why we rave about SOCO.