Yesterday, I was listening to James Clear (author of Atomic Habits) speak to students at Ohio State University. One question and his answer really stuck with me. The question was about short-term and long-term goals and how we manage both.

Personally, I’ve never been a great goal setter. I am trying to change that.
Without goals, achievement is never an issue because there’s nothing to measure against. But these questions often crosses my mind.
– Where do I put my effort?
– What matters most now vs later?

And here is what I took away from James’s answers

Have a decade view of your life;

If I’m in my 50s, I should ask what a “life well lived” looks like in my 60s
What should I be doing now to make that happen? That means I’ll have to prioritize and reprioritize my life today.

Some things can wait for my 60s, but others can’t because they might become harder later. It sounds simple, but it’s not how I have lived my 30s or 40s and I paid and continue to pay.

James also asked “What are we doing every day to make that decade good?”

The idea isn’t to stop living today, but to do what’s needed for this decade, prepare for the next decade, and live that one fully only when it comes. The preparation should help us.

Reflection: short-term and long-term

He also talked about reflection, weekly, yearly, and over the decades. As professionals, maybe we even need two reflections every week. One for work and One for life.

Not easy, but that’s where habits help.
I realized there’s one small habit I built because of Atomic Habits.

Every evening as soon as I reach home, I empty my gym bag, repack it, and keep it in my car. Next morning, I just wear my gym clothes and go. This way I don’t have any excuses. That is my cue, my system and my start.

I also shifted workouts from evening to morning as evenings became too rushed and tiring. That small change made consistency much easier.

If you haven’t read Atomic Habits, please do. Also subscribe to his weekly emails if you like. Or if you had like me stopped reading them, maybe it’s time to go back. I did after listening to him yesterday

A few weeks ago, he wrote something that beautifully connects to this whole idea.

“Work toward something that will pay off years from now. Appreciate something that’s happening right now.”

And finally, this gem from James‘s recent email “Most of the best things in life are endless.”

Yes… They don’t end. They’re a continuous work in progress. Maybe that is the real goal. To keep growing, reflecting, and preparing for the next decade while living this one fully.