It was late December 2007, and like millions of other people, I was taking inventory and setting goals for the new year. New Year's resolutions sound so great in early January, but they can be such a beating by the time spring rolls around. To be honest, I could not even remember my resolutions from the previous year. That alone tells you how well they went.
My Two Resolutions for 2008
I decided to keep things simple with just two goals:
- Get Fit
- Get Organized
Sounds straightforward, right? The twist was that I planned to blog about my progress, reasoning that if I documented the journey publicly, I would be more accountable. If I wrote about my goals where other people could read them, I would be more motivated to follow through.
Did It Work?
I did follow through on the weight loss resolution, at least initially. I wrote a detailed ten-step plan for losing weight that was grounded in engineering common sense: count calories, move more, track progress. The approach was solid even if the execution was imperfect, as it usually is with resolutions.
The “get organized” resolution was harder to measure and easier to let slide. Organization is one of those goals that feels urgent in the chaos of the holidays but fades as daily routines take over.
What I Have Learned About Goal Setting Since 2008
Nearly two decades of setting goals, both personally and in business, have taught me a few things:
Systems beat resolutions. Instead of declaring “I will get fit,” build a system: exercise three times a week, prep meals on Sunday, track everything in an app. The resolution is the destination. The system is the road.
Public accountability actually works. My instinct to blog about my goals was right. In 2026, accountability takes many forms: social media posts, coaching groups, accountability partners, or apps that track your streaks. The mechanism does not matter as long as someone or something is watching.
Two goals is the right number. I have tried years where I set ten resolutions and years where I set two. Two is better. Focus is a force multiplier. When you try to change everything at once, you usually change nothing.
The January reset is overrated. You can start over any Monday, any first of the month, or any random Tuesday. Waiting for January 1st to make a change gives too much power to an arbitrary date on the calendar.
The spirit of this post, looking forward with optimism and committing to improvement, is timeless. The specific mechanism of New Year's resolutions might be flawed, but the desire to be better next year than you were this year never goes out of style.
