Stop Letting Yourself Down: How to Actually Achieve Your Goals

Summary

In this video, Izzy, a Cambridge graduate and London-based doctor, shares seven evidence-based strategies to help achieve personal goals. She discusses the importance of setting specific, realistic goals, breaking them down into manageable steps, and tracking progress. Izzy also emphasizes the role of mindset shifts, visualization to combat delayed gratification, writing goals down, finding accountability partners, and maintaining a clutter-free environment for focused goal pursuit. The video aims to inspire viewers to break the cycle of abandoning goals and start living the life they desire.

Takeaways

• 🎯 Setting specific and realistic goals is crucial for achieving them, rather than vague ambitions.
• 📈 The importance of breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable steps to maintain motivation and consistency.
• 🔍 Tracking progress over time helps in staying focused and making necessary adjustments to the plan.
• 🚫 Avoid the mindset of 'failing with abandon'; instead, make the most of the situation and keep striving for progress.
• 👵 Visualization can combat 'delayed discounting' by making long-term goals more emotionally engaging and tangible.
• ✍️ Writing down goals significantly increases the likelihood of achieving them and boosts satisfaction with goal success.
• 🤝 Accountability through an accountability buddy or community support can provide the necessary guidance and motivation.
• 👥 The effectiveness of having weekly check-ins with an accountability partner to stay on track with goals.
• 🏠 Creating a clear and clutter-free environment can reduce cognitive distraction and enhance focus on goal pursuit.
• 📚 Reading Brian Tracy's 'Goals' or its summary can provide additional insights into setting clear and specific goals.
• 📈 Utilizing tools like journals, planners, Notion, or Excel to track and visualize progress towards goals.

Q & A

What percentage of people give up on their New Year's resolutions within the first month according to the study mentioned in the script?

According to the study mentioned, two-thirds of people give up on their New Year's resolutions within just one month of setting the goal for themselves.

What is the main theme of the video presented by Izzy?

The main theme of the video is to discuss how to stop letting down on goals and start living the life that one wants, by sharing seven evidence-based strategies to achieve personal goals.

What was Izzy's goal related to learning Chinese, and why was it difficult to achieve?

Izzy set a goal to achieve an HSK 5 level of proficiency in Chinese while also studying for final exams at Cambridge Medical School, making YouTube videos, and starting full-time work as a doctor in London. The goal was difficult to achieve due to being overly ambitious and not realistic given her busy schedule.

What are the two crucial parts of setting a specific and realistic goal according to the script?

The two crucial parts are being very specific with the goal setting, such as specifying the exact level of language proficiency, and ensuring that the goal is achievable and realistic given one's current circumstances.

How does the script suggest breaking down larger goals into smaller steps?

The script suggests breaking down larger goals into smaller, more manageable chunks and creating a timeline for when each of these steps should be accomplished, which makes the overall goal feel less daunting and helps to build momentum.

What is the concept of 'failing with abandon' as discussed in the script?

'Failing with abandon' refers to the unhelpful thought process of giving up on a goal completely when only a part of it is not achieved, instead of making the most of the situation and continuing to make progress.

How does visualization help in achieving long-term goals according to the script?

Visualization helps by acting as a bridge to counteract the psychological phenomenon of delayed discounting, where goals feel less rewarding when they are further out into the future. Seeing an image of oneself in the future can emotionally activate and motivate more than just thinking about the future.

What was the key finding of Dr. Gail Matthews' study on goal pursuit mentioned in the script?

The key finding was that participants who wrote down their goals, set action commitments, found an accountability buddy, and had weekly check-ins were the most likely to succeed at their goals and felt significantly more satisfied with their goal success.

What is the significance of writing down goals according to the script?

Writing down goals is significant because it has a substantial impact on the likelihood of achieving them. It helps in maintaining focus and commitment towards the goals and is associated with higher satisfaction levels in goal success.

How does the script suggest using an accountability buddy to improve goal achievement?

The script suggests finding an accountability buddy, such as a friend, family member, or even a stranger, who can provide guidance, support, and accountability, making a significant difference in staying on track and achieving goals.

What is the psychological trick used by department stores mentioned in the script, and how can it be applied to goal pursuit?

Department stores use visual crowding to create cognitive distraction, leading to impulse purchases. In goal pursuit, having a clear visual and cognitive space helps maintain focus and reduces cognitive friction caused by distractions, thus improving goal achievement.

Outlines

00:00

🎯 Overcoming Goal Abandonment

The video introduces the common struggle of setting and abandoning goals, citing a study that shows two-thirds of people give up on their New Year's resolutions within a month. The speaker, Izzy, a Cambridge graduate and a doctor, shares her personal experience with failing to achieve a goal and introduces seven strategies to help viewers stay committed to their goals. The importance of understanding the psychology of goal pursuit and motivation is emphasized, with resources and timestamps provided for further exploration.

05:00

📝 Goal Setting Principles and Mindset Shift

This paragraph delves into the first two strategies for goal achievement: setting specific and realistic goals, and breaking them down into manageable steps with a timeline. The speaker discusses the importance of being pragmatic and avoiding wishful thinking, using her experience with attempting to learn Chinese as an example. The role of visualization is introduced as a powerful tool, and the benefits of tracking progress are highlighted. The paragraph also touches on the mindset shift of not failing with abandon, suggesting that partial progress is better than giving up entirely.

10:02

🌟 Visualization, Writing Goals, and Accountability

The speaker explores the power of visualization to combat the psychological phenomenon of delayed discounting, which makes long-term goals seem less rewarding. A study by Emily Belsetis is referenced, which shows that visualizing oneself in the future can motivate goal pursuit. The fifth strategy emphasizes the importance of writing down goals, as demonstrated by a study by Dr. Gail Matthews, which found that those who wrote down their goals were more likely to achieve them. The sixth strategy discusses the value of accountability and community, suggesting that having an accountability buddy or joining a group can provide support and motivation.

🧘‍♂️ Visual Sparsness and Cognitive Focus

The final paragraph discusses the seventh strategy of visual sparsness, explaining how a cluttered environment can lead to cognitive distraction and hinder goal pursuit. The speaker suggests that clearing the visual and cognitive space can help maintain focus and is supported by studies. The paragraph concludes with a call to action for viewers to share their goals and how they plan to achieve them, and encourages them to explore other resources provided by the speaker for further assistance in goal setting.

Keywords

💡Goal Setting

Goal setting is the process of identifying something that one wants to achieve. It is central to the video's theme as it discusses the challenges and strategies involved in setting and achieving goals. In the script, the speaker talks about the importance of being specific and realistic with goal setting, using the example of aiming for an 'HSK 5 level of proficiency in Chinese' instead of a vague goal like 'learning a language'.

💡Motivation

Motivation refers to the psychological drive that influences a person to pursue a goal. The video emphasizes the fluctuation of motivation over time, with the speaker sharing personal experiences of losing motivation and consistency when trying to achieve a language proficiency goal amidst other commitments.

💡New Year's Resolutions

New Year's resolutions are specific goals people set for themselves at the beginning of the year. The script mentions that a significant number of people give up on their resolutions within a month, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining commitment to goals.

💡Visualization

Visualization is a technique where one creates a mental picture or image of a desired outcome. The video discusses its role in achieving goals, suggesting that visualizing oneself in the future can help overcome the psychological phenomenon of delayed discounting, as seen in the study by Emily Belsetis.

💡Delayed Discounting

Delayed discounting is a psychological concept where the value of a reward decreases as its availability is delayed. The script explains how this can make long-term goals seem less rewarding and less motivating, and how visualization can counteract this effect.

💡Accountability

Accountability is the expectation that one will be responsible for their actions and will be held to answer for the outcomes. The video suggests finding an accountability buddy as a strategy to stay on track with goals, as it provides support and ensures that one is answerable for their progress.

💡Consistency

Consistency refers to the ability to maintain a steady course of action or behavior. In the context of the video, consistency is highlighted as a key factor in achieving goals, with the speaker discussing how motivation and consistency can slip over time.

💡Mindset Shift

A mindset shift involves changing one's perspective or attitude towards a situation. The video introduces the concept of not failing with abandon as a mindset shift, encouraging viewers to make the most of situations even when they fall short of their original goals.

💡Progress Tracking

Progress tracking is the act of monitoring one's advancement towards a goal over time. The script emphasizes the importance of breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable steps and tracking these steps to maintain motivation and adjust strategies as needed.

💡Evidence-Based Strategies

Evidence-based strategies are methods or techniques supported by scientific evidence or research. The video presents several strategies for achieving goals that are backed by studies, such as writing down goals, finding accountability partners, and using visualization to combat delayed discounting.

💡Cognitive Distraction

Cognitive distraction refers to the mental interference caused by an overload of visual or cognitive stimuli. The video's final tip discusses the importance of reducing visual clutter to minimize cognitive distraction, allowing for a clearer focus on goal pursuit.

Highlights

Two-thirds of people give up on their New Year's resolutions within one month.

Change is a constant journey that requires ongoing effort but is ultimately worth it.

The importance of setting specific and realistic goals for better achievement.

The mistake of setting an unrealistic goal due to being overly ambitious without considering current circumstances.

The role of visualization in making goals clear and attainable.

Breaking down larger goals into smaller, manageable steps to maintain motivation.

The concept of not failing with abandon and making the most of available time towards goals.

Visualization as a tool to combat delayed discounting and prioritize long-term goals.

The effectiveness of writing down goals to increase the likelihood of achieving them.

The benefits of having an accountability buddy and setting up weekly check-ins.

The psychological impact of visual clutter and its effect on goal pursuit.

The importance of clearing visual and cognitive space for better focus on goals.

The speaker's personal experience with setting and not achieving a goal due to lack of time and energy.

The psychological phenomenon of delayed discounting and its influence on goal pursuit.

A study by Emily Belsky on the impact of visualizing oneself in the future on achieving long-term goals.

A study by Dr. Gail Matthews on the effectiveness of writing down goals and having accountability.

The speaker's recommendation of using tools like journals, planners, or digital apps to track goal progress.

The suggestion to join groups or clubs related to the goal for additional support and motivation.

Transcripts

have you ever set a goal for yourself

only to give up on it soon after setting

dolls is easy but actually achieving

them can be really really hard one study

found that two-thirds of people give up

on their New Year's resolutions within

just one month of setting the goal for

themselves we often end up setting the

same goals year after year after year we

want to change but change is a constant

journey of striving to create the life

that you want it's not meant to be easy

but it's going to be worth it let's work

on breaking that cycle if you're new

here my name is Izzy I'm a Cambridge

graduate and a doctor working in London

in this video we'll talk about how to

stop letting down your goals and

actually start living the life that you

want I'm unfortunately very familiar

with how it feels to set a goal and not

achieve it just last year I set myself

the goal of achieving an hsk 5 level of

proficiency in Chinese while I was also

studying for my final exams at Cambridge

Medical School making these YouTube

videos and then at some point started

full-time work as a doctor in London at

the outset of the goal I was so full of

energy and confidence that I could

achieve this But as time went on I found

my motivation and consistency slipping

and I just ended up feeling really

overwhelmed and unable to ultimately

achieve the goal that I had set out for

myself it wasn't until I did some

research into the psychology of gold

Pursuit and motivation and did some

experimenting with different

evidence-based strategies that I finally

felt like I got on track with making

solid measurable progress towards my

goal today I want to share these seven

tried and tested strategies to hopefully

help you achieve your own goals I'll add

both links to studies and also

timestamps below so feel free to check

them out or jump ahead to the bits that

interest you the first two strategies

are in terms of goal setting principles

the first strategy is to be very

specific and also realistic with your

goal setting rather than setting a broad

ambiguous goal like learning a language

try something more specific like

specifically saying I want to achieve a

V2 level in French by the end of the

year the second crucial part of this is

to make sure this is actually achievable

and realistic given your current circum

stances this is a huge mistake that I

made while I was trying to achieve my

hsk 511 of Chinese last year where I

wasn't actually realistic given that I

was so busy with my final exams with

starting a new job and also making

YouTube videos it was also kind of

Wishful Thinking to think I could learn

1 300 new Chinese characters and be able

to use them in any context and all the

speaking and listening Etc we won't get

into all of that but anyway as tempting

as it is to be ambitious we also need to

be realistic and pragmatic the role of

visualization in achieving our goals is

actually so interesting and there's so

much more to it that I could talk about

here if you're interested in learning

more about how to make our goals crystal

clear as opposed to having more vague

broad ones Brian Tracy goes into much

more detail about this in his book goals

I read the short form summary where they

provide a bit of extra analysis and some

more details and and extra information

if you're interested in trying out short

form you can get a free trial and also a

20 discount with my link below the

second strategy is a Sprint breakdown

and also tracking your goals once you've

decided on your goal goals creating a

plan and then tracking your progress

over time is essential to being able to

stay motivated and consistent there are

two parts to this firstly breaking the

larger goal into smaller more manageable

chunks and then secondly creating a

timeline for when you want to accomplish

each of these steps by this way you can

see your progress over time with each

Sprint make adjustments as needed and

also by breaking it down the overall

goal feels less daunting because you can

see actually each of these steps is

achievable to track your progress you

can use a journal or planner notion

Excel sheet Etc there's lots of ways to

do it for me personally I use a

combination of my bullet Journal my

notion setup and also Excel spreadsheets

to attract all these various different

goals that I have depending on what they

are and what kind of metrics there are

for example if your goal is to run a

marathon let's say which is a bit of a

crazy goal but fair enough some people

do have that goal you might want to

start by first running a 5k and then

maybe a 10K and then building up slowly

until you can finally do that Marathon

this will help you to build that

momentum and stay motivated I've

actually made an entire video on goal

setting principles and how to set goals

to actually achieve them so you might

want to check that out over I think it's

over here yeah over here by setting

goals more intelligently you have a

clear and realistic Target to work

towards now we've covered the basics

let's talk a bit more about some

unconventional strategies tip number

three is actually a mindset shift more

than anything and it's this idea of not

failing with abandon we as humans you

and me are fundamentally imperfect and

there are times that we're going to fall

short of our goal or not be able to

fulfill what we set out to do for

example one unhelpful thought process

that I would have last year is oh it's

already 9 p.m and I was hoping to do two

hours of Chinese study then in the

evening but now I'm only going to be

able to do maybe 45 minutes at a stretch

because I want to make sure that I can

go to bed on time as I have placed them

in the morning so then I'd be like oh I

can only do 45 minutes my goal was two

hours I may as well give up now because

I've already failed at this aim that I

had but obviously when you think about

that that's actually unhealthful

thinking because in those 45 minutes I

could have made at least a little bit of

progress and so instead of failing with

abandon and completely giving up on even

trying to meet my goal I could instead

be like you know what I have the 45

minutes this this is where we are now

let's try to make the most of the

situation another example is let's say

you had set a goal to go to bed by 11 pm

so that you could get enough sleep and

feel rested for the next day and then

you notice that oh the time slipped past

and now it's 1105. instead of failing

with abandon being like Oh well I'm just

going to continue this Netflix binge you

can actually think okay no I haven't

quite met my goal but this is as close

as I'm gonna get let's start getting

ready for bed now so what I learned last

year was that instead of getting into

this negative cycle of thinking oh I've

partially failed I may as well fully

fail instead we can try to not be so

hard on ourselves and know that if we

slip up that's normal that's part of the

process just pick yourself up and keep

going when we encounter obstacles or

setbacks we can just remind ourselves of

the progress that we've already made and

decide on the next best steps from here

that we can take remember that setbacks

and failures are a natural part of the

journey and are a sign that we are

really striving and pushing ourselves

the fourth strategy is visualization in

order to combat delayed discounting one

big issue with setting long-term goals

is that our brains are literally

hardwired to prioritize short-term

instant gratification that's why

scrolling on social media or eating

loads of sweets is still really

addictive even though we know deep down

that we'll probably feel a bit groggy

and sluggish after doing it these

long-term goals can feel hard to achieve

because of a psychological phenomenon

known as delayed discounting which

essentially means that goals feel less

rewarding to work towards when they

exist further out into the future Emily

belsetis did a study into a long-term

goal Pursuit focusing on participants

who wanted to save more money for the

future they divided participants into a

first group who were simply asked to

think about how their future cells would

feel about having more money saved in

the bank versus a second group who were

actually instead shown a photo of

themselves which had been digitally

edited essentially with like an

Instagram filter or something about to

make themselves look third 30 to 40

years older and they found that that

second group who had been asked to look

at this photo of themselves 30 to 40

years in the future were much more

likely to actually achieve and pursue

their goal it seems like the visual

system in this way can act almost like a

bridge to counteract this delayed

discounting and the visual system is

really powerful in that seeing an image

of ourselves in the future is much more

emotionally activating than simply

thinking about how we may feel at some

point those emotions that you'd feel

when you look at a photo even that's

edited of your future self are more able

to translate into motivation in the here

and now there are various apps that you

can use to actually edit your pace to

look this way there are some filters on

Instagram you can also use an app called

face app or there's loads more on the

app store I'll link down below some

tools that you can use to create

pictures yourself that look old the

fifth evidence-based strategy is to

write it down Dr Gail Matthews did a

study on goal Pursuit where they divided

participants into five groups ranging

from group one where they were simply

asked to think about their goal all the

way down to group five who were asked to

write down their goal decide on some

action commitments find an

accountability buddy and then also set

up a weekly accountability check-in to

see if they're staying on track with a

goal the results showed that all the

groups that wrote down their goal were

significantly more likely to achieve

their goal and felt on average 64

satisfied with their goal success

compared to the group who had all these

Unwritten goals who only felt 43

satisfied with their goal success

literally just the act of sitting down

and writing down your goals in maybe a

bullet journal or a notion page can have

such a huge impact on whether or not

we're actually going to be able to

achieve them so even if you haven't

written down your goals already this is

your cue to sit down right now and write

them down in my bullet Journal I have

dedicated pages to each of my main goals

another great result from this study by

Dr Gail Matthews was that group five who

actually wrote down their goal set

action commitments found on

accountability buddy and had weekly

check-ins with their accountability

buddy were the most likely of all group

to succeed at their goal and on average

rated themselves as 76 satisfied with

their goal success this brings us nicely

on to point number six which is

accountability and Community tldr find

an accountability buddy this could be a

close friend a family member your

partner even just a stranger on the

internet an accountability buddy can

make all the difference and give you the

guidance support and just the

accountability that you need for me

personally at the start of my YouTube

journey I met two friends rui and Matt

I'll link their channels down below who

were my accountability buddies for

YouTube and every week would have a

check-in and encourage each other to

post a video and level up on our videos

for my Chinese learning my sisters my

accountability buddy and then we have

check-ins on how things are going and

just motivate each other essentially

having a support system like this can

really make all the difference I've

noticed a huge difference just

completely anecdotally when I don't have

accountability buddy versus when I do

surrounding yourself with people who

encourage and support you and cheer you

on is literally a game changer and you

could even consider joining a group or

Club around the topic of interest that

your goal is in so that you can connect

with people who share the same interest

as you overall the results of Dr

Matthew's study show the real value of

sitting down to write down your goals

setting action commitments finding an

accountability buddy and setting up

weekly accountability calls or check-ins

the seventh and final tip is visual

sparseness one psychological trick that

department stores use is to absolutely

overload your visual sensors with so

many inputs so many items on the shelves

so many flashing billboards with

advertisements and Music and Sound this

is because essentially this visual

crowding leads to cognitive distraction

and when maybe we went to the store to

buy one specific item let's say you want

to buy some pasta you end up getting

distracted and buying even more stuff

even stuff that you didn't even need or

want the same thing applies when we're

pursuing goals if our Visual and

cognitive space is cluttered with

distractions this adds cognitive

friction and can distract us away from a

focused goal Pursuit having a clear

space really genuinely does help help to

have a clear mind and this is backed up

by studies so before you start working

on a goal consider just spending five

minutes of your time to clear up the

space so that you can really get into a

genuine level of focus I hope these

seven tips help you to stay consistent

and motivated towards your goals let me

know down in the comments what goals you

guys have and how you're going about

achieving them if you enjoyed this video

I think you'll like this video over here

where I talk about the evidence behind

setting goals and how we can set goals

to optimize for being able to actually

achieve them I also include a free

notion template and other resources so

feel free to check that out over there

if you're interested thank you so much

for watching take care of yourself and I

will see you in the next video bye