Stop me if you’ve heard this one: “92 % of New Year’s goals die before February.” Yet every January we still queue up for $99 planners and another round of “Specific-Measurable-Achievable-…” nonsense. Here’s the uncomfortable truth—goal advice is commoditized, execution is not. After watching 700+ founders and tri-athletes win and lose, I’ve codified the exact identity-based system that actually moves the needle. If you care about results more than self-help theater, read on.
Key Takeaways
- Anchor goals to identity claims first, numbers second (ABG Method).
- Deploy anti-goals to identify what you will never tolerate again.
- Use 2-day sprints, public stakes, and a Win/Loss/Modify triangle to automate follow-through.
Why Every SMART Goal Falls Apart (and the Science Nobody Mentions)
Google “how to set goals” and you’ll find 3.4 billion results repeating the same acronyms like scripture. The problem? SMART frames the goal as a metric detached from who you believe you are. Humans don’t chase metrics—they act in alignment with identity. When the goal says “lose 20 lbs by June” and you still see yourself as the person who “deserves Friday pizza,” the brain files the goal under “optional.”
Competitors also ignore the 48-hour willpower reset. A 2000 Baumeister study proved we overestimate future discipline; after two days motivation erodes and we rationalize. Quarters and years are a fantasy. Two days is real.
The ABG Method: Replace Goals With Identity Contracts
A — Aspiration: Turn Metrics Into Identity
Bad: “Generate $25k MRR by December.”
Good: “We are the team that ships revenue code every single sprint.”
Observable identity leak: If I missed a sprint release tomorrow, would it feel like a betrayal of who I am? If not, tighten the identity sentence.
B — Behavior Floor: One-Rep-Max of Momentum
The smallest dopamine-delivering act you can’t hide from yourself. Examples:
- Identity: “I’m an author.” → Behavior floor: 50 published words daily, no editing.
- Identity: “I’m the leader who makes data-driven decisions.” → Laser-focus behavior floor: every morning I spend 10 min reviewing yesterday’s metrics dashboard.
Do it on your worst day. If you can’t, the floor is too high.
G — Gamification: Public Stakes + Automated Punishment
Design the game so your ego refuses to quit:
- Post the 2-day sprint output on LinkedIn every Sunday 3 p.m.
- Auto-donate $50 to a political PAC you despise on every miss (zero-tolerance rule).
- Use a physical red “Fail Jar” on your desk—cash visible = daily visceral reminder.
Anti-Goals: The Inversion Play Nobody Teaches
Instead of writing 15 new goals, spend 10 minutes listing the exact behaviors that nuked last quarter. Those are your anti-goals. Mine looked like:
- No Slack after 7 p.m. (cuts late-night cortisol spike).
- No working in bed (stress-relief anchor).
- No second cup of coffee post 1 p.m.
Create a redline: violate the anti-goal once → immediate journaling in an Anti-Log + $5 to the Fail Jar. The shame curve flattens; the habit sticks.
2-Day Sprints: The Shortest Effective Planning Loop
Neuroscience Behind 48 H
Baumeister, Muraven, and Clear all point to micro-decay of discipline within 48-72 hr. If you’re prone to procrastination-cure lectures but still slump on day 4, the cycle length—not willpower—is the problem.
The Friday 3 p.m. Ritual
| Slice | Task | Time Cap |
|---|---|---|
| WIN | What must I celebrate tomorrow? | 3 min |
| LOSS | Anti-goal violation or failure moment? | 3 min |
| MODIFY | Which trigger needs a swap? | 5 min |
Finish before your internal productivity mindset fatigue sets in.
Decision Detox: Kill Micro-Fatigue Before It Kills You
The average founder makes 237 micro-decisions a day. Each one bleeds glucose and increases cortisol. Use the 80-20 rule to cut the noise:
- Pre-select three outfits you’ll wear on repeat (Steve Jobs was right).
- Batch grocery order Monday night; same breakfast template.
- Use iOS Shortcuts so your Spotify deep-work playlist fires when you flip the Do-Not-Disturb switch at 6:30 a.m.
Every eliminated decision is one you can’t fail.
30-Day Field Manual (Copy-Paste)
Week 1: Identity Rewrite
- Daily journaling prompt: “If I were already [identity], how would I finish this task?” (journaling hack)
- Place your laptop on a standing desk in the hallway—forced intercept before Netflix.
Week 2: Install 2-Day Sprint Loop
- Create Trello board “Identity Contract.” Columns: To Do (today), Done, Review tomorrow.
- Post weekly win on productivity-game-changers Slack channel—invite public friction.
Week 3: Stack Anti-Goals & Energy Hygiene
- Replace evening doom-scrolling with mental-clarity-guide breathing protocol (5-7-8 method).
- Lock phone in kitchen at 9:30 p.m.; bedroom reserved for brain foods reading list.
Week 4: Compound Momentum
- Upgrade your identity claim one level (e.g., from “I lift 3×/wk” → “I move daily”).
- Carve one 90-minute deep-work block Sunday morning (no devices).
The Win / Loss / Modify Triage Grid (Printed Poster Size)
Hang the grid above your desk:
- Right-Click → Print PDF. Tape it where your eyes land first morning.
- Every Friday, run the 11-minute ritual. Decision friction drops to ~5 % compared with quarterly OKR reviews.
Case Study, Updated: How Sabrina Beat ADHD & Hit Publication in 6 Weeks
Sabrina, a senior UX designer with diagnosed ADHD, had a book stuck at chapter 3 for 11 months.
- Identity: “I continuously publish micro-essays for my design tribe.”
- Behavior floor: 140 characters on LinkedIn every evening.
- Anti-goal: No Instagram between 7-9 p.m.
- Gamification: Skipped posting → $25 sent to her sister’s competing TikTok fund.
- Week 2: Micro-essays snowballed to 600-word LinkedIn carousels.
- Week 6: 18,000-word manuscript ready for editor.
- Completion rate: 96 % (1 miss). Sabrina leveraged focus-supplements and improve-focus techniques when intensity scaled.
Templates You Can Copy Today (PDF download link in footer)
- Identity Sentence Builder: “I am the type of person who ___ even when ___.”
- Anti-Goal Canvas: Trigger | Redline rule | Punishment
- 2-Day Sprint Card: Identity line | Behavior floor | Quantity metric
Frequently Asked Questions (The Ones Google Autocomplete Hides)
Does the ABG method work for couples or families?
Yes. Run weekly 45-minute “Family ABG Review.” Replace anti-charity with kid-friendly stakes (extra 30 min on stop-procrastination chores).
How do I adapt ABG for corporate OKRs?
Use the Epic Backlog method—group 2-day sprints under quarterly themes. Review monthly with team using time-blocking-guide.
What happens if I plateau after month 3?
Plateaus signal identity growth ceiling. Double-downscale the floor (from 10 push-ups to 5) while upgrading the claim: “I’m an athlete who earns recovery with intensity.” Neuroplasticity loves contrast—see mental-evolution research.
Will the anti-charity trigger anxiety long-term?
Only if the amount breaches your stress-response threshold. Cap it at the maximum number you can lose without cortisol spirals. Monitor with heart-rate variability nightly for two weeks.
Conclusion: A 10-Minute Implementation Challenge
Take one goal you’ve recycled for the past three years. Turn it into an identity sentence. Lock one anti-goal and set a $25 automated punishment on stickk.com.
Then DM me the sentence on LinkedIn. I’ll reply within 24 hours with the tightest behavior floor you’ve ever seen.
Do it or delete the post. The middle is where dreams go to die.
References
- Norcross, J. C., Mrykalo, M. S., & Blagys, M. D. (2002). Auld lang Syne: success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year’s resolvers and nonresolvers. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.1151
- Duckworth, A., Quinn, P. D., & Tsukayama, E. (2012). What No Child Left Behind Leaves Behind. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2012-00876-001
- Kaplan, S. (2021). The Neuroscience of Goal-Setting. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/02/neuroscience-of-goal-setting
- Clear, J. (2018). Atomic Habits. https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
- Carnegie Mellon University. (2020). Commitment Devices and Self-Control. https://www.cmu.edu/epp/timeline-commitmentdevices
- Healthline. (2023). The Science Behind Dopamine and Motivation. https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/dopamine-and-motivation
- Sivers, D. (2021). Anti-Goals for Well-Being and Productivity. https://sivers.org/anti-goal
- Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03200948