Happy New Year! Now that the holidays are over, it's time to get to work!

I'm not a goal-setter. I don't do SMART goals. And I don't do resolutions, either, especially as a new year starts. Instead, I do “themes.”

Maybe my aversion to goal-setting comes from decades in the corporate world, where setting SMART goals has become a “best practice” that nearly every Fortune 500 company follows. I hate the whole idea of setting goals.

It seems so…robotic and meaningless. Here's how it works:

• You set 3 to 5 goals you want to achieve by the end of the year. You generally do this in March or April.
• You do your job 5 days (or more) a week, 8 hours (usually more) a day for 50 weeks (you get a two-week vacation somewhere in the middle).
• In October, your manager and other managers vie for the small pittance the company sets aside for raises next year. If you're really good, you get 3 percent. If they want to keep you, you get one to two percent. Whoopty!
• In December, you write your own review and show evidence of how you achieved each goal in eight months time (remember, you didn't set any goals until March or April).
• None of it matter because your raise has already been set and there's not a damned thing you can do about it.

Jaded? Yes. I tried setting goals with my own business and I couldn't slip that sinking feeling I had when I had a job…so I just stopped.

So instead of setting SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relavant, and Time-bound) like “lose 25 pounds this year,” I say, “I'm going to eat healthier, practice intermittent fasting, and train 45 minutes every single day.”

What results is that I feel better, don't get disappointed when I miss making the goal, and feel totally unstressed.

It works for me.

Themes for 2021

I alluded to one above. Health is priority #1. I got a Fitbit (which I resisted for years) and I'm digging it. I believe we get old when we stop moving and get complacent.

I DO want to accomplish things AND I endeavor to move a lot more in 2021. If I learned anything during the COVID-19 pandemic, it's that I can survive and thrive without going to the gym or interacting with others. Sure, I miss people.

But not that much 🙂

Theme #1, therefore, is to be more active. I'm active two times a day. I generally will take a long brisk walk and weight train.

I'm also limiting my sugar intake (not being fanatical about it) – just cutting the soda. Also trying to limit carb intake so bread is no longer my friend.

But I know after a two weeks that all carb cravings vanish. I can do anything for two weeks.

Theme #2 is to Produce more than I Consume. This one is easier said than done. But it's doable. Part of producing more is this daily blog writing. It's something I enjoy and I hope you get something out of it, too.

A few posts back, I talked about building some funnels. This is my big push in 2021. I want to truly build some funnels that produce relatively passive income. I'll build these streams in a variety of niches that interest me and that hold true income-producing potential. They'll all be in the “Health, Wealth, Relationships, and Hobbies” niches.

If I can make $250 a month in 12 niches by the end of the year, that will be $3,000 a month on mostly autopilot.

I want to write another book series this year, too. I just haven't decided what the topic will be.

And I have one big project I want to complete this year. More on that later.

How about you? What are your themes in 2021? Tell me in the Comments!