Achieve Your Goals in 2025: A Designer’s Mindset

Every year, countless professionals set ambitious goals: learning a new skill, growing their business, or increasing revenue. But how many of those goals survive beyond February? Not many—and the reason is simple. Goals without systems are just wishes.

As a designer and coach, I’ve spent over 15 years helping businesses and individuals turn bold ideas into actionable outcomes. In this post, I’ll share how you can apply design thinking and principles from Atomic Habits to create a system that ensures your goals stick and lead to real progress.

A new approach to setting goals

Most people approach goals the wrong way. They set grand outcomes like, “I want to double my revenue,” or “I’ll become a public speaking expert,” but fail to define the systems that will get them there. Worse, they’re tied to outcomes rather than identity.

Here’s the key: Instead of just setting a goal, think about who you want to become. Your identity is the foundation that drives consistent action.

For example, if you want to grow your business revenue, think of yourself as “I am a strategic leader who drives growth for my business.” This shift in mindset aligns your daily actions with a broader vision and opens you up to opportunities beyond the singular goal.

Step 1: Define your goal and identity

Start with clarity about where you want to go and who you need to become to get there. Ask yourself:

• What is my big goal for 2025?
  (Example: "I want to grow my business revenue by 30%.")

• What identity supports this goal?
  (Example: "I am a strategic and growth-oriented leader.")

• Why do I want this? What’s the deeper reason?
  (Example: "I want to create financial stability for my family and make a meaningful impact in my industry.")

When you tie your goals to your identity, you create an internal compass. Instead of being narrowly focused on one specific outcome—like giving a TED Talk—you’ll become someone who’s consistently ready to share ideas and grow as a communicator.

Step 2: Reverse-engineer your success

Think of your goal as a journey. You’re at point A, and your goal is point B. The steps between these two points are your roadmap.

Start by asking:

• Where am I now? (Example: "Currently generating $5,000/month in revenue.")

• What does success look like? (Example: "Generate $6,500/month by Q1, $7,500/month by Q2, and $8,000/month by Q3.")

Break this down further:

• What milestones will I hit along the way? (Example: "Expand outreach by 20%, launch a new service, improve client retention.")

• What weekly actions can I take? (Example: "Contact 10 new prospects, refine messaging, follow up with previous leads.")

Here’s the game-changer: Validate your approach through direct interaction. Speak to your audience or clients to understand their needs by asking questions like:

• What are your biggest challenges?

• How do you currently solve this?

• What outcomes would you consider a success?

This feedback loop ensures you’re solving real problems and keeps your actions aligned with your market.

Step 3: Build habits and track progress

Once your roadmap is in place, focus on building habits that support your system. Habits create consistency, and consistency builds momentum.

Design your habits around three elements:

• Cue: What triggers the habit? (Example: A calendar reminder for daily outreach.)

• Routine: What action will you take? (Example: Spend 30 minutes contacting leads.)

• Reward: How will you celebrate progress? (Example: Celebrate weekly by reviewing conversions and noting wins.)

Tracking progress is critical. Use simple tools like a spreadsheet to log your actions and outcomes. Reflect weekly on what worked, what didn’t, and what adjustments you can make. This reflection keeps you adaptable and ensures continuous improvement.

Mindset shifts to keep you moving

Progress isn’t always linear, and perfection isn’t the goal. Reframe your mindset with these principles:

• Start before you’re ready. The first step is always the hardest, but it’s the most important.

• Break big challenges into small actions. Focus on the next step rather than the entire mountain.

• Reframe failure as learning. Instead of fearing rejection, aim for it. For example, try to get 50 rejections this month. You’ll lower the emotional stakes and often uncover unexpected wins.

• Celebrate small wins. Every step forward is progress, no matter how small.

Use my worksheet to gain clarity

Achieving your career and business goals in 2025 starts with designing the right system. By aligning your goals with your identity, breaking them into actionable steps, and building consistent habits, you create a foundation for sustained success.

To help you get started, I’ve created a comprehensive PDF worksheet that guides you through this process step by step. Download it by saving the image below or clone this Notion page:

If you want more assistance, book me for a consulting session and let's create a personalized system for action for you to achieve your goals. Money back guarantee.