Most goals are set in January and restarted in April. The goal was fine. There was nothing underneath it.
What the research says
Edwin Locke and Gary Latham spent 35 years studying goals at work. Their central finding: specific, hard goals lead to better performance than vague ones like “do your best”, as long as people are committed to them and get feedback on progress (American Psychologist, 2002).
Most goal setting gets the first part right, specific and hard, and skips the second: commitment and feedback.
The 90-day method
- Pick 3 outcomes for the quarter. One for the business, one for your health, one for your life outside work. More than 3 and none of them get your best hours.
- Make each one measurable. “Get fitter” is a wish. “Train 3 times a week and take 5 cm off my waist by 31 December” is a goal.
- Work out the weekly inputs. List what you have to do every week for the outcome to happen. Those inputs go in the calendar.
- Get feedback every week. A 15-minute review on Friday: check the inputs happened and the numbers are moving.
- Reset at 90 days. Keep what worked, raise the standard, drop what didn’t matter.
We don’t track results. We track what caused them.
Why most goals don’t last
- Too many. 10 goals means no goals.
- No inputs. An outcome with no weekly action attached is a hope.
- No review. Without feedback, you only find out you’re off track at the end of the quarter.
- Built for a perfect week. The plan has to survive travel, a sick child and a bad night’s sleep.
Set your next 90 days properly. Take the Life Quest Quiz or book a Stealth Strategy Call.
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