How to Set Goals and Create Healthy Habits in 2025

In this special New Year's episode of The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck podcast, we dive into the perennial challenge of making meaningful changes in our lives. Rather than falling into the typical "new year, new you" trap that leads most people to abandon their resolutions by February, Drew and I explore a different approach to personal transformation. We share our own struggles with perfectionism, control, and finding purpose.

We also dig into some research about how evolution may have shaped our sense of purpose, the science of habit formation, and offer practical strategies for making lasting changes. Whether you're setting goals for the new year or just trying to build better habits, this episode will help you approach personal growth with more wisdom and less pressure in 2025. Enjoy.

CHAPTERS

Chapters

• 00:00:00 Introduction: New Year, New You... Again
• 00:02:18 Last Year's Resolutions: How Did We Do?
• 00:03:39 The Fuck of the Year: Drew's Battle with Perfectionism
• 00:06:24 Making Abstract Goals Concrete: The Action Plan
• 00:11:52 Mark's Fuck of the Year: Letting Go of Control
• 00:14:58 The Terror of Transformation: Loss Aversion and Career Evolution
• 00:17:43 Team Safe Words and Delegation Struggles
• 00:20:17 Brilliant or Bullshit: Evolution Gave Us Purpose
• 00:26:26 The Status Paradox and Religious Communities
• 00:33:09 Purpose Isn't Always Pleasant: The Ethics Question
• 00:34:30 The Verdict: Small Improvements Beat Big Dreams
• 00:36:46 Listener Question: Why Are Bad Habits So Easy?
• 00:39:41 The Habit Loop: Modifying Cues and Adding Friction
• 00:43:42 Treating Symptoms vs. Root Causes: The Emotional Triggers
• 00:47:57 The Comfort Zone Problem and Meta Emotions
• 00:51:40 Outro: Wisdom of the Week Fail

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Theme Song: Icarus Lives by @Periphery , used with permission from Periphery.