This year, I’m not setting goals.

Well… not formally anyway.

No annual review marathon.
No sitting down with a notebook and forcing myself to reflect on the entire year in one go.
No pressure to define who I should become by December.

And honestly? That feels like a relief.

Why traditional goal-setting doesn’t work for me

I’ve realised something about myself over the years (hello, ADHD 👋):

I find it hard to:

• Sit down and reflect on a whole year in one sitting

• Be “put on the spot” and come up with answers instantly

• Decide in January what will matter to me in October

My reflections don’t arrive on demand.
They arrive gradually.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

A quiet realisation in March.
A moment of clarity while tidying in June.
A sudden “ohhh… that’s the pattern” sometime much later, when I’m actually ready to see it.

Trying to force that process never helps. It just makes me feel inadequate or behind.

The hidden pressure behind goals

Goal-setting often carries an unspoken message:

Do more.
Be more.
Work harder.
Optimise yourself.

Even when the goals are aligned or meaningful, they can still tap into:

• Busyness as a measure of worth

• Productivity as identity

• The subtle addiction of always doing

🪴And here’s my honest truth:

I love my work.
But I can also overdo it.
I can find it hard to slow down.

So this year, I’m choosing a different approach.

What I am doing instead

Rather than goals, I’m practising attention.

I’m letting the year unfold, and responding as patterns emerge, not before.

Here’s what that looks like in practice.

This year, I will:

• Pay attention to what genuinely feels useful

• Build habits, not pressure-filled targets

• Make changes when I feel the need to, not because “it’s time”

• Research and plan only when a project feels alive and important

• Let themes emerge naturally before choosing a word for the year

• Honour my energy, health, and nervous system

• Allow growth to happen at a human pace

This year, I won’t:

• Force clarity before it’s ready

• Set goals just because it’s January

• Spend time on things that feel arbitrary or performative

• Confuse movement with progress

• Measure success by how busy I look

• Push through when slowing down is the wiser choice

🪴A gentler reframe you can borrow

If traditional goal-setting makes you freeze, rebel, or quietly burn out — you’re not broken.

You might simply work better with:

• Seasonal reflection instead of annual pressure

• Habits instead of outcomes

• Curiosity instead of certainty

• Responsiveness instead of rigid plans

You’re allowed to:

• Let insight arrive gradually

• Change direction mid-year

• Decide later what matters most

• Build a life that supports your health and your growth

If you’ve been feeling resistant to goal setting this year, maybe this is your permission slip too 💚

You don’t need a perfect plan.

Sometimes, you just need to pay attention and trust that the pattern will reveal itself when you’re ready to see it.