From Overplanning to My Best Year Yet

Every December, I used to set big, ambitious goals for the new year. But no matter how motivated I felt, I rarely achieved more than a fraction of them. Sound familiar?

Hi, it’s Joel from Lofizen.

Every December, I used to set big, ambitious goals for the new year. But no matter how motivated I felt, I rarely achieved more than a fraction of them. Sound familiar?

In 2024, I finally cracked the code. I prioritized my health, worked less, and saw my income double. My relationship thrived, and I spent four months traveling. It was my best year yet.

What changed?

I simplified everything.

Let’s dive together into what I learned and why it matters. This is for those who want to have a successful 2025 while staying zen. It will help you achieve your goals while staying flexible enough to seize new opportunities that come your way next year. Let's start!

Mistake #1 - Too Many Goals

It’s tempting to set multiple goals for the new year—hitting the gym five times a week, reading a book a month, spending more time with family, and excelling at work or studies.

While these goals might look great on paper, your brain struggles to focus on so many things simultaneously. Instead of making progress, you spread your energy too thin, jumping between goals without fully achieving any of them.

By focusing on one core goal, the rest of your life naturally organizes around it, helping you align your actions and make steady progress. This doesn’t mean you can’t have other goals—it simply means your core goal becomes the anchor that makes setting and achieving other goals easier.

For example, if you commit to exercising consistently, it can make everything else easier, like reading books about fitness or inviting friends to join you in physical activities.

Mistake #2 - Planning for the Impossible

Many of us set goals based on the life we wish we had, not the life we currently have. This often leads to frustration when we realize we lack the time, energy, or mental bandwidth to achieve everything we planned.

Worse yet, we fail to account for inevitable bad days, setbacks, or unexpected challenges. Instead of setting yourself up for failure, consider what resources you have available and design your goals to fit within your reality.

When you plan from a place of resources-first, you create a foundation that is realistic, sustainable, and achievable.

For example, if you’re super busy but want to get fitter, you could aim to walk for 30 minutes and do 30 push-ups throughout the day whenever you have a small time window or natural opportunity. This doesn’t feel like much, but it makes a huge difference and is easy to implement.

Mistake #3 - Flat Supergoals

Goals like “double my income,” “run a marathon,” or “10x my business” sound impressive, but they often lack emotional depth.

These are “nice to have” aspirations rather than transformative ones that truly change your life. The most impactful goals are deeply personal and tied to what really matters to you—something that will make you miserable if left unaddressed.

For example, a year ago, it was a gut punch for me to even think about living another year with brain fog, fatigue, and lethargy. That clarity gave me the strength to seek solutions for my illness.

To identify these meaningful goals, ask yourself: “What would happen if I do nothing?” This gut-check question helps you find the goals that move your heart and naturally drive your actions. When you build your goals on this rocket fuel, you are already halfway there.

For 2025, my intention is simple: Do less. I have chronically had too many things going on in my life. I say yes too often and make things too complex. It’s time to learn to do less, much less.

My core goal: Resources first. Reason why I have too many things going on is because I'm not conscious of my limits. I don't see my resources clearly. Respecting my resources makes everything else easy.

Aligned practical goals naturally follow, like going to the gym three times a week, but respecting my energy levels. Reading more books while focusing not on the number of pages or books read but on learning valuable insights and prioritizing meaningful content.

Want to build your best year yet? Ask yourself: "What would happen if I do nothing?"

Identify your biggest pain point and let it fuel your transformation. One intention. One core goal. Let everything else fall into place.

I recommend doing this process while listening to Lofizen tunes—it sets the right mood and helps you focus. :)

Stay focused. Go into 2025 with Lofizen.co

Joel & Olli❤️