10 goal setting mistakes youre probably making – i know i am, like right now staring at this half-eaten burrito on my austin desk while the ac hums too loud and texas heat sneaks in anyway. last month i wrote “get ripped” on a post-it, stuck it to my mirror, and two weeks later it was buried under laundry that smells like regret. seriously, i thought big dreams were enough but nah, kept tripping over the same dumb stuff. anyway heres the mess i made so you maybe dodge it.
Top goal setting mistakes i cant stop repeating
first off, vague city – “be happier” what does that even mean? i tried that in january, ended up doomscrolling tiktok til 3am feeling worse, fan whirring like its judging me. forbes calls this lack of specificity and yeah guilty. but heres the kick, sometimes i overcorrect and make goals so detailed i choke on em. contradiction much?
Goal setting mistakes with the “too big” trap
confession time: set “save 10k by summer” while living paycheck to paycheck, rent due and tacos calling my name. by march i had 47 bucks and a panic attack in the grocery line. mayo clinic warns about unrealistic goals – shoulda listened. made me quit tracking altogether til i broke it smaller, like “skip one coffee run weekly”. still flopped sometimes but less epic.
More goal setting mistakes from my hot mess life
- no deadlines – “learn guitar someday” been saying that since obama, strings dusty in the corner
- forgetting why – wanted “run 5k” for likes, hated every step til i tied it to clearing my head from work bs
- zero flexibility – life hit, got sick, beat myself up instead of adjusting
tried “read 100 books” this year, got to 12 and hid under blankets. harvard says adapt goals – mind blown but i still rigid sometimes.
When goal setting mistakes get embarrassing af
showed up to a “networking event” goal drunk on free wine, forgot business cards in my other pants – cringiest. learned to make actions match energy, not force it. another: “meal prep sundays” first batch burned, smoke alarm blaring, neighbors knocking. now i do “throw veggies in air fryer” – works better. surprised myself tho, fixed the “no accountability” by texting a friend weekly updates, feels dumb but sticks.
Avoiding these 10 goal setting mistakes – my sloppy fixes
from this sweaty austin spot, cicadas screaming outside, burrito wrapper crinkling – goal setting mistakes suck but fixable. pick one tiny tweak, like add a deadline to something vague. still gonna mess up, still american hustle brain, but less chaos. whats your biggest goal flop? spill in comments, i wont judge (much).
