This article lays out the nine things I want to accomplish and habits I want to build in 2022.
Over the past few years my annual goal-setting strategy has shifted from spazzing out over bucket list items and finish lines (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018), to a much healthier, deeper, and more sustainable focus on behavioral goals (2019, 2020 and 2021).
In other words, it’s less about the endings, outcomes and payoffs, and more about the journey and the type of person you become in the process.
This line of thinking connects to a few points of Inspiration from my 2021 Recap:
1. Hiking is not about the views. The means and the path you take are the entire point (via Dan Crenshaw on the Jordan B Peterson podcast S4: E71 – Fortitude: American Resilience).
2. Heroes are heroes because they are heroic in behavior, not because they won or lost (via Nassim Taleb in Fooled by Randomness).
3. Creativity requires detailed planning. “Understand that part of our work is to create the conditions that allow for discovery–or if you prefer the other metaphor, scaffolding that we stand on–that allows us to reach into uncertainty,” (via Lorne Buchman on Creativity, Leadership, and Art on EconTalk).
Therefore, I want these goals to both get me to where I want to be – or build me into the kind of man I want to be – and also define the right way to get there.
Another way I think about my annual goals – now that I’ve read Jordan Peterson’s books 12 Rules for Life and Beyond Order – is that they serve a similar function as rules. My goals are developing into a set of guidelines. If I follow them I should be on track and a better person in the long run.
Another thing I’ll point out is that these goals are the new things I want to focus on in the coming year. They require my attention and work to make happen. They don’t incorporate all the other weird habits and routines I’ve built up to this point. For example, I don’t need set a goal to take cold showers every day because I do that automatically, and have been for years.
Here are my goals for 2022.
1. Reject the victim narrative
Do not complain. Do not blame others for your fate even if they deserve it. Never exhibit self-pity. This is an expansion of my recurring goal to stop complaining.
2. Kitchen closes at 8pm
The goal here is to improve my sleep quality and eliminate unnecessary snacking (usually driven by stress, worry, and procrastination) before bed.
3. Read more fiction, Infinite Jest, and The Iliad
I usually include a long list of books I want to read in the coming year, and I always end up straying from that last, which is not necessarily a bad thing. I typically fall into the accomplishment trap of burning through books just to cross them off the list and move onto the next one. So this year I’m not going to set (as many of) those kind of targets. Instead I’m generally going to read more fiction, and make sure I read two (big!) books this year: 1) Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace, and 2) The Iliad, by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald.
4. Self Authoring
Just in case my deep dive into the Jordan Peterson books and podcasts wasn’t enough, last summer I also purchased his Self-Authoring Suite, “a series of online writing programs that collectively help you explore your past, present and future.” It reminds me a lot of the Leadership Guidebook I put together in my MBA leadership courses.
I love these kinds of self-exploratory writing exercises and the perspective they reveal. I think it’s extremely beneficial to revisit, refresh, or re-do them regularly – maybe every two to five to 10 years. I got a good chunk of the Past Authoring Program completed last summer, but had to take a break when school started back up in the fall. I aim to complete the full suite of Self Authoring programs in 2022.
5. Evening wind-down
I mentioned in my 2021 Recap that I’ve developed a solid morning warm-up routine over the past year, but my evening wind-down routine still needs some work. This year I’ll continue the morning exercise, and now concentrate on completing an evening routine before bed of two parts: 1) foam rolling or stretching, and 2) at least 10 minutes of meditation.
6. Simple and Sinister kettlebell at 32kg
I’ve been chasing this whale since 2019. This is the year I complete 10 rounds of 10 single-arm swings followed by 10 Turkish Get Ups (TGU) with a 32kg kettlebell. I’m starting the year at a comfortable 24kg, and will add two reps with 32kg about every month.
7. Run a 50-miler: Crested Butte Ultra Oct 1
This is a goal that’s been eluding me since 2016. Living in Colorado – which, as you might imagine, has a ridiculous number of amazing trails – will help a ton toward this effort. I built some solid trail-running momentum last year and am hoping to keep it going in 2022. My general training plan will consist of a pretty loose combination of:
- Simple and Sinister kettlebell workouts three to five times a week (see goal 6 above);
- Bodyweight exercises (pushups, pullups, situps, and air squats)
- Running: one long trail run and one slow, light run each week
- Primal rages twice a month (e.g. Kettlebell Mile or rucking)
- Hiking
I registered for two races this year as part of this goal: 1) North Fork 50K, about 30 miles, on June 4; and 2) Crested Butte Ultra, 50 miles, on October 1.
8. Deep scheduling: approach your time like an accountant
Last November my schedule was getting out of control with an overwhelming number of tasks, projects and papers due at the end of semester. During that time I got into the habit of scheduling out pretty much every hour of the day to help me stay on track. Not only did the process help me get all my assignments done, it also reduced my stress levels. I didn’t have to worry about forgetting a deadline because everything was laid out and organized neatly in front of me, right there on the notecards I used to define my daily schedule and long-term task list. Granted, the last couple weeks of the semester were still a crazy grind – but I never felt overwhelmed or worried that I wouldn’t be able to get everything done.
I think this same detailed scheduling process can help beyond the grind of grad school, so I’m going to keep it going in 2022. Basically I’m going to build a few habits into my daily routine:
1. At the end of the workday, review your tasks and long-term calendar
2. Schedule out the next day in detail, by the hour. Block off time for administrative tasks (e.g. emails, chores, cooking) and sacred, uninterrupted “deep work” (e.g. writing, research, side projects or creative pursuits).
3. Then do an end-of-workday ritual to signal it’s time to relax and do other stuff, preferably stuff you enjoy.
I got this idea from Cal Newport on the Hidden Brain podcast, Work 2.0: Life, Interrupted. It also connects to one of the takeaways from my 2021 Recap: Creativity requires detailed planning (via Lorne Buchman on EconTalk).
9. Go into the wilderness alone
My first time going into the wilderness alone – last year, eight days on the Colorado Trail – was so fun and inspiring I am going to make this an annual thing. If my schedule permits, I’d like to spend another eight days on the Colorado Trail and trek through the next set of segments toward Durango.