Stop feeling spread thin and make your goal achievement easier and more joyful, today. Just imagine what would happen if you could build a little bit of momentum consistently on 2-3 goals for 90-days?

If you’re curious why 2-3 goals are actually more effective in the long-term than setting, let’s say, 7-10, you’re going to love this episode! When you apply the principle that less is more when it comes to your goals, you’ll create more focus and momentum in your life.

Everything comes at a cost. When you commit to 2-3 goals at the start of the year or the quarter, you’re automatically saying no to disruptive or distracting opportunities that may come your way. There is a trade-off for every decision you make, especially when it comes to choosing goals.

Resources to Learn More

When you have limited goals, you experience less decision-making fatigue. Carol Dweck’s research into the brain describes willpower as a limited resource capable of being depleted. Read more in this Harvard Business Review summary of her research, or read more in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success.

Research by Anders Ericsson shows that 4 to 4.5 hours of focused, productive work is the maximum cognitive load expended by high performers in deep, focused work daily. The question is, how do you leverage those 4 hours to get the most out of your cognitive energy? Use cognitive science to set yourself up for success by recalibrating your expectations.

Every time you make a tiny step of progress forward towards your goal, your brain releases dopamine, a feel-good chemical in the brain. Use this to your advantage by making sure that every day your brain is releasing dopamine as you pursue your goals. Read more about the pitfall and advantages of this neurochemical process in this Harvard Business Review article titled, Your Desire to Get Things Done Can Undermine Your Effectiveness.