Run the Plan, Not the Fantasy: Making Ambitious Goals Stick.
If you are a high-achieving woman in tech, you are probably great at execution. You are motivated by big, audacious goals. But sometimes, that drive to execute doesn't automatically translate into setting goals that are actually sustainable.
We all know the "new year, new me" energy. You buy the beautiful notebooks, you align your personal goals with your work OKRs, and you set out with massive intensity. But a few months in, the energy fizzles out, or worse, you push yourself with so much intensity that you end up burning out.
When we abandon these big goals, it damages our self-trust. We start viewing ourselves as the type of person who doesn't follow through. But the problem isn't your capability. The problem is your framework.
To achieve what you set out to do without breaking yourself in the process, you need a different formula: Clarity + tiny, boring steps + flexibility will beat that initial burst of intensity every single time.
Here is how to set sustainable goals and actually ship them.
1. Set SMART Goals (and really anchor to your 'Why') You have likely heard of the SMART acronym at work: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.
Vague goals like "I want to network more" usually fail. Instead, make it specific and time-based: "I want to have one networking conversation a week for the next 12 weeks".
But the most important letter in that acronym is R for Relevant. This is your why. When the going gets tough (when you are tired, frustrated, or you are overwhelmed at work), anchoring to your why is what keeps you consistent.
2. Rely on The Slight Edge In Jeff Olson's book The Slight Edge, the core premise is that very small changes over time compound into massive results.
If your goal is to grow your network, telling yourself you need to attend a massive event and meet 12 new people can feel overwhelming. But initiating just one conversation a week is a tiny, sustainable step that becomes transformational over the course of a year. It is the exact same concept as incrementally shipping imperfect software.
3. Stay Flexible and Avoid Tunnel Vision Sometimes, we become so fixated on achieving the exact goal we set that we ignore reality. A terrifying example of this is chronicled in Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, detailing the 1996 Everest disaster. Climbers became so fixated on summiting the mountain that they ignored turnaround times, weather incidents, and critical warning signs. The goal of getting to the top became more important than the reality of their situation.
If you hit a roadblock, don't blindly push through it. Re-evaluate your why.
For example, I recently set a goal to run a 5K at an 8-minute per mile pace to get myself out of a workout rut. I pushed too hard and ended up with a calf injury and swollen knees. I could have quit entirely. Instead, I remembered my why: I just wanted to be motivated to exercise and see my friends. So, my friends and I joined a new gym with a great atmosphere. I completely dropped the running goal, but I successfully achieved my why.
💡 Tip: Don't get tunnel vision. If your current path isn't working, find a new way to satisfy your 'why' rather than giving up completely.
🎧 Prefer to listen? Check out the Women Who Ship podcast! You can find this full deep dive in our latest episode, Run the Plan, Not the Fantasy: Making Ambitious Goals Stick, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
