Chapter 1: The Power of Action-Based Goals

A few years back, I received an invaluable piece of advice from a manager at my previous job regarding goal-setting. At the time, I found myself overwhelmed, struggling to establish realistic objectives.

I made typical rookie mistakes: my goals were unclear, excessively ambitious, and lacked deadlines. For instance, one of my aspirations was merely to read more. This was too ambiguous, as I couldn’t determine when I had achieved it or the timeline for doing so.

One day, my manager shared this insight: "Focus on actions instead of outcomes when setting your goals." This single shift in perspective transformed my entire approach to life.

This minor change allows you to pursue the same aspirations but dramatically influences your motivation and how you gauge success. For example, instead of just wanting to read more, I set a specific goal: read at least one chapter every night before bed. In the past five years, I hadn’t read any books, but this year, I’ve completed ten by August alone. This includes not just fiction, but also two self-help books and hundreds of shorter articles on platforms like Medium.

Now, I’m applying this principle to my writing endeavors. My goal is to compose one concise essay each day between 8 and 9 PM, following a content plan that I create every Sunday evening.

These objectives are straightforward to accomplish daily, easy to measure (did I fulfill the task?), and simple to resume if life disrupts my routine.

If you find yourself struggling to adhere to a particular goal, consider altering your perspective. Shift from focusing on the end result to emphasizing the actions required to reach it. Before you know it, you’ll be making progress.

Section 1.1: Understanding Action-Oriented Goals

This section delves into the significance of basing goals on actions rather than outcomes.

Subsection 1.1.1: The Shift in Mindset

Chapter 2: Maintaining Momentum

This chapter discusses strategies to keep yourself motivated and on track with your newly established goals.