I’ve been chatting with some friends lately about how they manage and track goals and honestly, the responses have been… interesting, shocking, and some just hilarious.
From:
👉 “I’m literally winging it day to day”
👉 “Most of the time I don’t know what I’ve achieved”
👉 and my favourite (the worst): “I have better things to do than worry about goals” (LOL!).
When I dug a little deeper, I realised it’s not because they don’t want to achieve anything or because they’re lazy. It usually comes down to three things:
Setting too many goals
Overloading their to-do lists
A lack of weekly structure and planning.
And all of these lead to feeling overwhelmed and lost in how to approach goals.
Long-term goal setting is part science, part art and it can take time. But we don’t have to wait. We can start small by designing simple, winning weeks that build momentum.
Here’s a quick and effective way of how to implement the “My Winning Week” strategy.
✅ Step 1: Choose Your Goals
Instead of chasing ten things at once, I typically choose 2-3 clear goals per week, usually tied to my long-term goals.
If you’re starting out, pick just one goal per week. Once you’ve built the structure around it and it feels manageable, you can expand.
Some examples by category:
Career / Business: What’s the #1 outcome this week?
Health: How can I move closer to my fitness or wellbeing goals?
Relationships: What intentional action can I take to strengthen connections?
Personal Growth: What skill, habit, or mindset am I building?
Recently I got back from a month-long trip to Europe. It was amazing but I came home with some extra weight to lose! So this week (and for the next few weeks) my focus is simple: lose 0.5kg each week.
✅ Step 2: Plan Your Week
Once I know my goal, I figure out how to get there. This happens in two parts: preparation and daily practices.
Here’s how I’ve structured my week around my weight-loss goal:
Sunday Setup: Plan meals in advance, schedule training sessions, and set a nightly reminder to review progress
Healthy Diet: Stick to calories in MyFitnessPal, prep meals, and stay consistent
Consistent Gym: training sessions locked in + hitting daily step count
Daily Reflection: Review what worked and what didn’t at the end of each day.
It’s not about trying harder. It’s about designing the week so the result becomes inevitable.
✅ Step 3: Set Your Non-Negotiables
Once my weekly goals are set, I set 3-5 non-negotiables. Repeatable daily actions I track to keep me progressing.
For my weight-loss goal, that looks like:
Morning gym workout (Mon–Sat)
Daily 10k steps
Track calories every day
No alcohol this week.
When these are in place, I don’t need to rely on willpower. I just follow the system.
Of course, there are plenty of other things in my week not tied to this goal. But that’s the point: by giving focus and structure to one key priority, I know I’ll make meaningful progress without burning out.
✅ Step 4: Track Your Progress
When you structure your week like this, you:
Eliminate decision fatigue
Focus on what truly matters
Feel more in control
Build momentum (without burnout).
I keep it simple. I use iPhone Notes to list my daily habits. I check them off during the day and review each night. If I miss one, I reflect on why and adjust for tomorrow.
Here’s what my note currently looks like. I’m using this to prepare for my week and track my daily habits:
Simple. Easy. Effective.
Final Thought: The “My Winning Week” Strategy
If you don’t design your week, the world will do it for you.
Take 20 minutes on Sunday to map out your winning week. Pick one goal. Add your non-negotiables. Stick to the structure.
Do that and by Friday, you’ll look back proud of your progress.
My recommendation: drop in the iPhone Notes screenshot for social proof. It makes the process feel real and achievable, not just theory.
“A goal without a plan is just a wish” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Til next time, Joseph @ 1% Growth
