2020 Resolutions: The Framework

Most people fail their New Year’s resolutions for one simple reason: they don’t have a plan. Or rather, they have a wish list, but not a framework to achieve them.

“I want to lose weight.” “I want to read more.” “I want to earn more.”

These are not goals. These are desires. A goal is something concrete, measurable, and achievable within a defined time frame.

In 2018 I started using a personal framework to define my goals, and for two years in a row I achieved amazing results (over 75% success rate). Today I want to share this method with you, hoping it can be useful for your 2020.

The Pyramid of Goals

Imagine your life as a pyramid. At the top is your Vision: who do you want to be in 5, 10 years? The Vision is abstract, it is an ideal. For example: “I want to be a free and cultured person”.

Under the Vision there are the Macro-Areas. For me they are usually:

1. Work / Career
2. Health / Sport
3. Culture / Personal Growth
4. Finance / Money
5. Experiences / Travel

Under each Macro-Area I define specific Goals (Objectives). A Goal must follow the SMART rule:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Example: Wish: “I want to read more”. SMART Goal: “Read 12 books by December 31, 2020”.

But that’s not enough. A Goal without a System is just a clear destination map, but without a car to get there.

The System (Habits)

Under each Goal, I define the Habits (Systems) necessary to achieve it. If the goal is “Read 12 books”, the system could be “Read 30 minutes every night before sleeping” or “Listen to audiobooks during the commute”.

The System is what makes you win. The Goal is just the direction. If you focus only on the Goal, you will be frustrated until you reach it. If you focus on the System, you will be happy every time you execute the habit.

My 2020 Goals

Applying this framework, here are some of my goals for 2020:

1. Culture

• Goal: Read 52 books (1 per week).
• System: Read 1 hour a day (morning/evening) + Kindle always with me.
• Goal: Write 50 articles on the blog.
• System: Write every Sunday morning.

2. Health

• Goal: Run a Half Marathon (21km).
• System: Run 3 times a week (Tue/Thu/Sun) following the Nike Run Club plan.
• Goal: Reach 12% body fat.
• System: Intermittent fasting 16/8 + Control macros with MyFitnessPal.

3. Finance

• Goal: Increase Net Worth by 30%.
• System: Save 40% of monthly income + Invest in ETFs (Accumulation Plan).

4. Work

• Goal: Launch a SaaS project.
• System: Dedicate 10 hours a week to Side Projects (Sat/Sun).

Tracking

The last fundamental piece is Tracking. If you don’t measure, you can’t improve. I use:

• Todoist for daily tasks.
• Notion for general planning and monthly review.
• Streaks (app) to track daily habits.
• Google Sheets for finances.

Every Sunday I do a Weekly Review: I check how the week went, what I completed and what I didn’t, and I plan the next one. Every month I do a Monthly Review to check alignment with annual goals.

It seems like a lot of work, but once set up, the system runs by itself. And the feeling from keeping your life under control is priceless.

And you? Have you already defined your goals for 2020? Let me know on Twitter or Instagram.

Good luck for your 2020!

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