Alright, so today I wanna talk about setting goals, specifically my own for this 2025 season. Inspired by Bruce Mahoney’s vibe, I figured putting my own targets down on paper might help hold me accountable. Here’s how it actually went down.
Staring at the Blank Page
First things first, I grabbed my beat-up notebook – the one with coffee stains and dog-eared corners. Just sat there staring at it for like 20 minutes. Feels dumb, but committing feels heavy, you know? Finally decided to keep it simple: pick four areas. Nothing fancy, just stuff I genuinely care about.
Started scribbling rough ideas:
- Get less doughy: Yeah, felt real after those holiday cookies.
- Stop wasting hours scrolling: Seriously, felt my brain melting.
- Actually finish that side project: Been “almost done” for months.
- Learn basic car stuff: Changing a tire shouldn’t be a crisis.
Sounded straightforward. I felt kinda pumped. This year would be different.
Trying to Figure Out the “How”
Next step was figuring out how the heck to actually do these. Knew vague wishes don’t work. For getting fit, I wrote down: “Walk 30 min daily, start weights Tuesday & Thursday.” Simple. For the phone junk, I installed that screen time tracker app immediately – kinda scary seeing that number pop up the first day. Seven hours?! Embarrassing.
The side project needed structure. Broke it into stupidly small tasks: “Week 1: Fix the login bug.” Not “Build revolutionary app.” Basic car stuff meant YouTube tutorials and maybe pestering my mechanic buddy for hands-on help.
Early Wins & Faceplants
First couple weeks? Felt like a rockstar. Hit my walks, limited the screen time, fixed two bugs. Even booked Saturday with my buddy Mark to learn about oil changes. Confidence peaked!
Then… life. Got slammed at work mid-February. Skipped two walks. Suddenly the phone time was creeping up again – “just quickly check” turned into 45 minutes of cat videos. That side project notebook? Buried under paperwork. Felt frustrating. Classic January enthusiasm fading.
Adjusting on the Fly
Okay, so maybe perfection wasn’t happening. Instead of beating myself up, I tried adjusting. Shorter walks when slammed (15 min better than zero!). Used app blockers for specific time-killer apps instead of trying for total abstinence on the phone. Booked just ONE hour every Sunday morning for the project, no exceptions. Car learning became “Identify weird dashboard light” during commutes. Lowered the bar, made it stick.
Where Things Landed
By December? Mixed bag, but definitely better than doing nothing.
- Less Doughy: Dropped 12 lbs, nothing ripped, but clothes fit better. Consistency on weights sucked.
- Phone Zombie: Average screen time cut in half. Still slip up sometimes.
- Side Project: Launched version 1.0! Buggy, but real users are using it. HUGE relief.
- Car Knowledge: Can change tire/fluid/wiper blades without panic. Didn’t rebuild the engine, didn’t expect to.
Point is, goals aren’t magic. Mine weren’t flashy. Started, messed up, changed course, kept going. That messy notebook? Proof I showed up most days. Feels pretty solid.