January Goals Need February Traction!
"You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." – James Clear
The New Year always begins with great intentions— fresh planners, ambitious goals, and long lists of resolutions. In academic pharmacy, the spring semester arrives fast. Before we know it, reports, course updates, research needs, and committee meeting reclaim our schedules.
The truth is simple, goals create direction. Systems create results. If you want 2026 to look different from 2025, you don’t need bigger goals. You need better processes, tools, or systems.
Here are three ways to build habits and systems that strengthen momentum and make your professional resolutions gain traction and stick for next-level results:
1. Set Goals You Can See, NOT Just Goals You Can Say
Key Idea: Most goals fail because they are vague, invisible, or unmeasurable. Take time to add specificity, not just hope. Muster the courage to extend yourself.
Try This:
Rewrite one vague goal (“be a better teacher”) into a visible one: “revise three learning activities before February.”
Make your goals observable: what will you do, not what will you be?
Share one goal with a trusted colleague or coach for built-in accountability.
Example:
A faculty member sets a visible goal to update their CV, create a draft letter of interest, and monitor the job boards every two weeks. This clear, observable target drives focused preparation for their next career opportunity, not generalized aspiration.
2. Build Routines That Outlast Motivation
Key Idea: Motivation fades by February as you get busier. Routines becomes habits and they keep going. A strong semester doesn’t come from intensity or sprints but from consistency.
Try This:
Choose one habit that moves your scholarship forward for 30 minutes, twice a week.
Create a “Friday Reset” to update your task list, organize next week’s classes, and close the week with intention.
Use a 5-minute “Block and Decide” each morning. What are the top two actions that matter most today?
Example:
A faculty member commits to a Tuesday/Thursday research block, even when busy. The time is used to ideate new opportunities to expand their research ideas and network with collaborators. By April, two grant ideas have morphed into proposals.
3. Create Momentum by Removing Friction
Key Idea: The easiest way to achieve your goals is to make them easier to do. Small reductions in friction create massive increases in action. Take the time to break down processes into their individual parts and look for friction.
Try This:
Prepare lecture updates the same day you finish teaching while feedback is fresh.
Create scholarship templates for items like IRB drafts, poster outlines, data planning sheets.
Pre-schedule monthly check-ins with mentors, coaches, or leadership teams.
Example:
A department adopts a single shared folder for providing access to templates, evaluation rubrics, and key faculty policies thus saving faculty hours because they have a “go to” spot for resources.
Final Thoughts:
We often stress the importance of goals referring to them as SMART. The real momentum comes by translating goals to actions. This New Year, focus on designing systems that make what matters most easier to sustain. Because sustainable success isn’t built on January wishes— it’s built on February habits and routines.
Next Steps to Achieve Momentum:
Looking to bring clarity, direction, and momentum to your academic pharmacy performance? EduLead-Rx offers individualized leadership coaching and consulting to faculty and leaders to support clarity, alignment, and next-level effectiveness. Let’s turn your resolution into long-term momentum.
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