Hi Reader,

Do you feel like you’re constantly busy?

Constantly working, working, working… yet still not really getting anywhere?

Does it kind of feel like you are on a backwards treadmill - no matter how hard you work, you just never seem to move forwards?

If so, you are definitely not alone.

So many bloggers and business owners tell me that they feel like this.

And the reason is nearly always the same:

They've never set proper goals for their business.

And if you don't set goals, you can't filter your to do list.

Why's that a problem?

Because if you don't know where you are heading, how can you possibly know which of the 1001 tasks on your to do list will take you there?

So you end up doing a little bit of everything... and, as a result, you end up going nowhere!

As one of my favourite quotes goes...

"Success isn’t that difficult; it merely involves taking 20 steps in a singular direction. [The problem is] most people take 1 step in 20 different directions."

And that's why you need goals...

Goals define what success looks like

Goals give you that "singular direction" - they define what "success" looks like to you.

Only once you have that "singular direction", can you figure out what your 20 steps are - those tasks which will actually move the needle and take you to that destination.

But if you never actually stop to decide what "success" means, you can’t possibly know which tasks are worth your time.

Here’s a simple way to start…

Imagine your business 12 months from now – what does success look like to you?

Write down:

• What does your blog/business look like?
• How much money are you making?
• How many hours are you working?
• Who is your business impacting?
• What sort of impact is your business having on those people?
• How much are you enjoying what you do?

Writing that down dramatically changes how you view your to do list...

Goals help you focus on the right tasks

Until you know your goals, you’ll always be busy with things that feel urgent but don’t necessarily move you closer to where you want to be.

Once you have those goals, you can look at your to do list and ask yourself: which of these tasks will get me there the fastest?

Because not all tasks were created equal. Some tasks will move the needle a lot, while others will barely move the needle at all.

Without goals it's really quite easy to spend all of your time on the tasks that barely move the needle... and THAT is why you feel like you are constantly busy, but never actually getting anywhere.

But if you set goals, you can then identify the tasks that will move the dial a lot. And once you start doing THOSE tasks, suddenly you will find yourself making great leaps and bounds towards "success".

Goals help you stop doing the wrong tasks

This just might be THE most underrated benefit of goal setting:

You get permission to stop doing all the things that don’t pull their weight.

Because here’s something you need to know…

You will NEVER have enough time to do every task on your to do list. So you have to CHOOSE.

Choose to focus on the tasks that move the needle, and give yourself permissions to STOP doing the tasks that don't move the needle.

As Tim Ferris once said...

"Develop the habit of letting small bad things happen. If you don’t, you’ll never find time for the life-changing big things."

Letting "small bad things" happen often means stopping doing all things on the to do list that "feel" oh-so-urgent, but just don't move the needle.

Because here's the harsh truth:

If you spend all your time on those non-needle moving tasks, you'll be on that backwards treadmill forever!

Goals help you feel less overwhelmed

Here's the best part.

You identify the small handful of needle-moving tasks to focus on...

You eliminate the vast number of low-impact tasks from your plate...

And suddenly your to-do list suddenly feels a whole lot smaller and a whole lot more manageable...

Which means you feel a whole lot LESS overwhelmed!

And when you feel less overwhelmed, you're able to focus better and be more productive - which means you'll be able to reach your goals even sooner...

Which means it will finally feel like you're facing the right way round on that treadmill!

Want to go deeper?

Want to learn more about goal-setting? Head here:

​Why setting goals will make you more successful in 2026​

​How to plan your year for maximum success​

Happy goal-setting!

Eb 😊
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P.S. Just setting goals alone will not make you successful. Next week I'll show you how to actually ACHIEVE the goals you set for yourself!

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