You Need a Theme, Not a Goal

CGP Grey · 5.5M views · 2020-01-26 · 6:24

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Overview

CGP Grey argues for picking a theme for the year or season instead of setting goals or new year's resolutions. He explains how a theme gives direction without a pass/fail target.

On Hacker News

A staple recommendation in new year and goal-setting threads, with many commenters adopting yearly themes.

Recommended by 10 HN people across 8 months · HN mentions 2020–2025

Topics

Productivity & self-improvement

What people said

surprisetalk · 2023-12 · Strong recommendation
You can learn more about yearly themes from this excellent CGP Grey video: [1] [VIDEO] Here's my yearly theme log, which I started mid-2022: [2] [LINK] It's been a great experience!
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surprisetalk · 2023-11 · Strong recommendation
I'm a huge fan of yearly themes, popularized by CGP Grey! [1] [VIDEO] [2] [LINK] My "year of trailblazing" was incredibly positive. Here's my recap: finally started antidepressants, became a dad, quit booze and cigarettes after ten years of attempts, conquered my internet addiction, started a popularish blog, biked from SF to LA, failed at starting a tech conference, botched a startup launch, read a ton of books, overcame chronic crippling anxiety [3] [LINK]
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dejawu · 2023-03 · Strong recommendation
A similar idea that resonated with me is CGP Grey's suggestion to replace resolutions with themes: [VIDEO] Rather than set a lofty goal you're more likely to give up on (leaving you having accomplished nothing), simply look for ways in which you can do/be better than you were before.
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Sources

Video by CGP Grey, played through YouTube.

HN Library · Source license

Data and selection notes

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