The gist: Tired of all-or-nothing, Hustle Culture goal-setting? Here are 20+ examples of kinder, more realistic, anti-Hustle goals.
If you've been setting goals the Hustle Culture way for most of your life, gentle goals can feel almost impossible to wrap your head around at first.
Not because the concept is actually complicated, but because years of "go big or go home" and "no pain, no gain" messaging means your brain probably defaults to those patterns when you try to set goals, and it’s hard to against your brain’s defaults.
To help you unlearn them, it can help to see some concrete examples of gentler, anti-hustle goals.
So let’s look at some different areas of life you might be setting goals around, gentler versions of common hustle goals for that area, and why they’re more helpful.
Real-life examples of gentle goals
Examples of gentle work goals
Goal area | Instead of... | try... | Because... |
|---|---|---|---|
Deep Work | Do 2 hours of deep work every day | Attempt to do deep work every day | Shifts the focus to effort (which you have control over) instead of outcomes (which you don’t) and acknowledges unpredictable energy. |
Personal Projects | Work on a personal project for 2 hours every day | Work on a personal project every day | Small progress is more sustainable than big binges. |
Writing | Write 1,000 words every day | Do something every day to improve your writing skills or work on your current project | Gives you more options to make progress (research, editing, learning, etc.) when you don’t have the capacity to write. |
Email Management | Hit inbox zero every day | Hit inbox zero once a month | Lowers the bar from replying to all emails the day they come in, to replying to all emails within a month. |
Prioritization | Complete your most important task every day | Pick your most important task every day | Again focuses on effort over outcome. |
Examples of gentle rest goals
Goal area | Instead of... | try... | Because... |
|---|---|---|---|
Sleep Hygiene | Wake up at 5:00 am every morning | Go to bed by 11:30 pm every night | What time you go to bed influences (and is easier to change than) what time you wake up. |
Movement | Work out for 15 minutes every day | Spend 15 minutes a day moving around | Gives you the flexibility to do whatever you have the time, energy, and strength for. |
Relationships | Have a social outing with friends every week | Interact with close friends every week | Makes room for whatever type of friendship time your energy or schedule allows. |
Self-Care | Spend 1 day a week “phone-free” | Take 1 “real” day off every week | Lowers the bar from resting unplugged to just resting. |
Diet/Nutrition | Get X amount of macros per day | Eat breakfast at a consistent time | Focuses on fueling yourself over rules and restrictions. |
Examples of gentle play goals
Goal area | Instead of... | try... | Because... |
|---|---|---|---|
Reading | Read self-help every day | Read or listen to 1 book (of any kind) every month | Expands rules to whatever books (in whatever formats) interest you at the time. |
Movie Watching | Have weekly movie nights | Watch a new-to-you movie every month | Requires a less rigid schedule |
Crafting | Finish 1 craft project per month | Work on your current craft project twice a month | Focuses on making progress over actually finishing |
Dancing | Take a dance class every week | Practice dancing (any kind, anywhere) once a week | More flexible to adapt to whatever your body’s capable of that week |
Cooking | Cook weekly Friday night dinners | Try a new-to-you recipe once a month | Lowers the bar and adds flexibility |
Set your own gentle goals
Of course, your own gentle goals will look different from these, depending on your interests, priorities, and capacity.
But seeing the comparisons can help when your brain keeps defaulting back to hustle mode.
Use them as inspiration when you catch yourself falling back on Hustle Culture thinking when you’re setting goals.