Every year, I used to dive into the “New Year, New Me” routine. I’d set ambitious goals, create detailed plans, and even join workshops like Ali Abdaal’s goal-setting masterclass. For a few weeks, it felt like I had it all figured out.
But soon, life would get in the way:
- I’d lose momentum after a busy week.
- My focus would shift to doom-scrolling instead of productivity.
- Over-planning would leave me feeling overwhelmed.
By February, I’d often find myself back to square one. Sound familiar?
Every time I failed to stick to my yearly goals, I felt like something crucial was missing. I spent countless hours watching YouTube videos, reading self-help articles, and exploring different strategies. Yet, no matter what I tried, nothing seemed to work for the long term.
Until one day, almost by accident, I discovered the secret: a 12-week challenge.
How a 12-Week Challenge Changed Everything
I’ve been obsessed with YouTube and helping creators grow their personal brands. Over the years, I’ve developed strategies that helped others succeed, but when it came to growing my own channel, I always struggled.
In October, I decided to challenge myself: upload 24 videos in 12 weeks. The timeline felt tight, but that was the point. It created a sense of urgency.
Did I Hit the Goal? Nope. But I Won Anyway.
I didn’t end up uploading 24 videos. But here’s the magic: I uploaded more videos during those 12 weeks than I had in the entire previous year. Not only that, but I learned why traditional goal-setting never worked for me.
Why Annual Goals Fail
Through this challenge, I realized a few critical things:
- Annual plans lack urgency: A year feels like a long time, so it’s easy to procrastinate.
- Long timelines = distractions: Life happens, and it’s hard to stay focused for 12 months.
- Work expands to fill the time available: This is known as Parkinson’s Law. If you give yourself a year, your tasks will stretch to fill that time, even if they don’t need to.
A 12-week framework, however, creates focus. It’s short enough to stay committed but long enough to make significant progress.
Turning Goals into Challenges
The real game-changer wasn’t just the 12-week timeline—it was shifting my mindset from “setting goals” to “taking on challenges.” A goal is passive; it’s something you hope to achieve. A challenge is active; it’s something you’re determined to conquer. This shift made all the difference.
12-Week Challenge Exercise
Answer these 2 questions for all the areas of life. (I.e. heath, work, relationships, finances, leisure, etc)
- Problems I need to solve in the next 12 months?
- Goals I need to accomplish in the next 12 months?
Choose which 20% of them will create an 80% impact in my life. If I force myself to achieve it in 12 weeks, to get 80% results with 20% effort, imagine what it’ll look like. Now answer these 3 question.
- How can I turn chosen goals & problems into challenges?
- How can I divide each challenge into daily or weekly goals?
- What action do I need to take today or in the next 60 minutes to get started?
Why This Works
The 12-week framework works because it’s simple, focused, and actionable. It forces you to prioritize, stay disciplined, and take action without overthinking.
You might not hit every target perfectly, but you’ll achieve far more than you would with vague, year-long plans.
What’s Your Move?
So, here’s the big question:
Are you going to spend another year struggling with annual plans? Or will you commit to 12 weeks of intense focus and meaningful progress?
Take the leap. Challenge yourself. And see how much you can accomplish in just 12 weeks.
Your future self will thank you.
