Aim Ideas
Defining your Aims for 2025
The key to building a habit that sticks is to design an approach that matches your motivation. Whether you’re joining us in the Read 25 in ’25 challenge or pursuing other aims of your own, getting specific about the how makes it easier to follow through.
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Idea 1: Tie your aim to a broader value
If you’re motivated by expanding your horizons, you might:
- Read a book from a different genre each month
- Read five books on a topic you’re curious about
- Ask three acquaintances to recommend their favorite books
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Idea 2: Build in structure and accountability
If finding the time to read every day sounds hard, you might:
- Read or listen to an audiobook during your commute
- Schedule a recurring block on your calendar at the same time every day for reading
- Track your reading in the Happier app to stay motivated
Aim Examples
Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life, and a significant element of happiness. About forty percent of what we do each day is shaped by habits, and if we have habits that work for us, we’re much more likely to be happy, healthy, productive, and creative. The habits people most often want to cultivate fall into the nine areas below, the Vital Nine. Here’s a list of aim ideas to get you inspired.
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Energy: exercise and sleep
Go to bed at a particular time every evening
Go for a daily walk
Exercise at least 4 times each week
Read for 30 minutes before bed
No caffeine after a certain time
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Productivity: focus, work, progress
Write “morning pages” every day
Hold a particular day of the week as a meeting-free day
Sign up for a language-learning app and do the exercises suggested
Turn off the internet for two hours each afternoon
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Relationships: connect and deepen
Read to kids every evening
Start a group to discuss a different podcast each month
Schedule a weekly call with parents
Plan Friday date nights
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Recharging: relax and rest
Read 20 minutes a day
Schedule breaks throughout the day
Play guitar for 30 minutes each day
Attend a weekly yoga class
Take a daily nap
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Order: clear and organize
Make your bed every morning
Spend 10 minutes tidying up before bed
Follow the “one-minute rule.”
Each month, donate items you don’t need or use anymore
Participate in a “buy nothing” month
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Purpose: reflect, identify, engage
Keep a daily journal
Meditate every morning
Volunteer once a month
Start each morning with a spiritual reading
Compost or eliminate single-use plastics
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Mindful Consumption: eating, drinking, spending, scrolling
Take medication daily, before first cup of coffee
Limit social media to 30 minutes per day
Plan meals for the week
Track spending for a month
Swap afternoon coffee for green tea
Limit alcoholic beverages to the weekend
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Mindful Investment: save, support, experience
Donate each month to a cause you care about
Invest in equipment to make exercise more convenient
Save a certain amount each month toward travel
Spend at least 3 hours per week in nature
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Creativity: learn, practice, play
Take an art class
Explore a new neighborhood every Saturday
Knit whenever watching TV
Every Sunday, watch a classic movie
Attend two live performances a month
Share your aims with us!
Let us know what aims you’re working on, and we’ll add them to the list to help inspire others.
How to make effective aims
The key to any Happiness Project is to identify concrete, actionable steps you can take toward your aims to become happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.
Your aims can be small (put your keys away in the same place) or big (repair your family relationships). It’s up to you.
Remember, resolutions work better when they’re concrete, not abstract. It’s harder to keep a resolution to “Be a more loving parent” than to “Get up fifteen minutes early so I’m dressed before the kids wake up.” So identify specific actions that will support your aims.
Also, keep your resolutions manageable, with actions that you can repeat consistently, starting now. What can you do that doesn’t require a lot of time, money, or energy? You’ll be surprised at how much progress you can make with even the smallest steps if you take them consistently every day.
Resolutions should also be measurable. How will you know if you’ve accomplished your resolution? How will you keep yourself accountable? If you can’t answer “yes” or “no” to whether you accomplished your resolution that day, make it more specific.
Here are some tools to help you get started:
Download your own Resolution Chart
Shop the Don’t Break the Chain Habit Tracker
Once you’ve made your resolutions, find the right tools and strategies that will help you stick to them.