Goal Minimalism

Focusing on a single goal in 2024

My mind is always busy. My files are even busier. I have been working from home for over twenty years and have accumulated two five-drawer file cabinets full of stuff. The stuff is generally well organized, because that is my thing, but every time I look at these two file cabinets, I think I’m living with Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler¹, who is in desperate need of some Swedish death cleaning.²

With the new year around the corner, I am thinking of goals for 2024. I love having goals to work toward. But here is the thing—too many goals can lead to a lack of focus and little progress. In other words, too many goals can be just as overwhelming as two file cabinets full of stuff.

In 2024, I will experiment with a minimalist goal setting approach. Some research suggests that setting fewer goals will improve productivity, but my hypothesis is that setting a single goal will calm my busy mind—hopefully giving my brain more focus and direction. My single goal then is to create a more minimalist environment, starting with those file cabinets, and encouraging Mrs. Frankweiler to take up residence elsewhere.

Photo by Maksym Kaharlytskyi on Unsplash

Too Many Choices

Some people will encourage you to consider key areas of your life and write multiple goals for each. These areas can vary, but could be: health, finance, career, education, relationships, personal/hobbies, environment/home, community, etc. The point is, if you decide on four areas of life, you set four significant goals. If you decide on six areas, you set six significant goals.

I set these multiple goals in the past. Looking back, I achieve about 4 out of 7—which is not too bad. But my home environment has always taken a back seat to my other goals.

Narrowing It Down

You might start by writing a list of goals in these different areas. Then see which goal really speaks to you or which area of your life has been taking a back seat to the others. Maybe your career is going great, but your health could use some tweaks.

Another way to choose might be deciding which goal would help the other areas of your life. For example, choosing a health goal might improve your energy and job performance. Improving your environment might make it easier for you to exercise, or work on that hobby, or find a manuscript buried in a file cabinet. Consider the potential ripple effects before choosing your goal.

One. Single. Goal.

So instead of the everything-and-the-kitchen sink approach, I am sticking to this one single goal as an experiment this year. And believe me, for a chronic goal setter, this is really hard. My mind is right now imagining all the ways that I could achieve this goal before the end of January so I can set more goals.

1. From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a Newbery winner about two kids who run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I am planning to re-read it soon.

2. The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter is a book I need to order today.