Create sticky goals for 2025

As project management professionals, you’re experts at setting goals and objectives and delivering the outcomes to achieve these. These are often multi-million pounds worth of complex changes and transformations. You usually thrive in delivering these goals, getting stuck in to overcome any barriers to help keep everything on track.

Yet when it comes to setting goals outside of work, those which are set on personal ambitions for our life and career, you often struggle to apply the same rigour and drive. Personal goals usually sit in the "important but not urgent" box. They sit there slowly gathering a thick layer of dust while you work hard on delivering your projects.

The projects you deliver allow you to grow and expand your knowledge, skills and behaviours. But what happens when you feel like you've got everything you can from your current job or work? This is when many project managers realise they are stuck. You were so focused on the job at hand that you neglected to think about your long-term ambitions and investing in yourself.

As we start the new year, a lot of you set intentions for the year ahead. While it’s comforting to know a lot of people struggle with goal setting, now is the time to change your approach by setting goals that stick.

Five actions to make your goals stick

Assess the current situation and prioritise

You wouldn't start a project without understanding the current state and desired outcomes. Apply this approach to your personal goals, albeit with a lighter touch. For example, instead of saying "I want a better work-life balance", consider the current situation. Which areas need your attention? What does "better" actually look like? If you have lots of goals you want to achieve, prioritise from the most important to the least important pick one to three goals to work on.

Break it up into small, manageable steps

You break down complex projects into manageable workstreams and tasks. Instead of vague goals such as "I'll get promoted this year", create quarterly milestones: "By March, I'll complete my APM certification; by June, I'll lead two strategic initiatives." Make each milestone specific and achievable within a timeframe. Be realistic about what you can achieve too, applying your learnings from past experiences.

Establish success criteria

Just as you track project KPIs, set clear metrics for personal goals. If your goal is to improve work-life balance, how will you know you achieved this? Is it "leave the office by 6 pm four days a week" or "take a full lunch break three times a week." Make it measurable so you can track it, as seeing early signs of success can also motivate you to keep going.

Build accountability

For project delivery, you have governance structures to keep you on track and hold you accountable. It has been proven many times that accountability helps you also reach personal goals. This is why many people hire coaches and trainers as accountability partners, and you can also work with colleagues, friends and family for this.

Awareness of obstacles

Projects have risks and contingencies, so for your personal goals, identify potential obstacles and plan for them. Life is busy and lots can get in the way. If your goal is regular exercise, what's your backup plan for longer nights when deadlines are coming up or travel plans? Thinking through the alternatives prevents complete derailment from your goal.

One thing to avoid: running this as a side project

Think about the projects that are never a priority, sitting at the side of your desk. When was the last time you gave them your full attention? These initiatives usually receive minimal focus, if any at all. It’s key to not apply those approaches to your personal goals.

Don't treat your personal goals as a side project, or something that is a "nice to have" that can be pushed away when the "real work" gets busy.

Your personal goals deserve the same commitment you give to your important projects. It’s not your side project. It’s your project, a strategic, personal growth project that you’re the sponsor and the project manager for. Don’t let it gather dust and stick to it!

My learnings

I had a goal to read more books that rolled from one year to the next, never being achieved. For 2024, I made it more specific, saying "by the end of 2024, I will have completed reading twelve new books, one per month". By being specific and breaking it up into manageable steps, I found it much easier to keep track. I was also realistic. I knew reading one book every two weeks was going to be very hard for me to stick to, a book a month felt achievable while challenging too, given I was starting from ground zero. I checked in on my progress over the year and found I needed to build a new habit of keeping my book at my bedside and putting my phone away and on do not disturb so I would reach the goal. Small steps like this helped, and I not only managed to reach this goal but beat it, by three books.

Next steps

Now is the time to set your intentions for the year and set goals that stick. Take 30 minutes to work through my simple goal setting worksheet so you set goals that can stick.

You can share your goals in the comments section or on your Linkedin, and lets see how we can hold one another accountable to our goals over the year.

However, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by this, cannot figure out how you can achieve your goals or want some independent accountability, I’m happy to help, just get in touch.

Let's make 2025 your year of great achievements. Best of luck!