24 Goals To Set in 2024: Ideas To Achieve Success

These 24 goals to set in 2024 are designed to challenge you, change you, and encourage you to invest in yourself. What will you achieve this year? Let us know in the comments.

Whether we like it or not, another new year is right around the corner. And it’s the time of the year where we begin to reflect on what we wanted to achieve in this past year, what we accomplished, and the ambitious goals we’d like to set for next year.

This is one of my favorite posts to do every year; we’ve been doing it since 2017 (catch 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively). You might even say we are experts on goal setting. I find it to be an extremely valuable exercise to pause, reflect, and consider my goals for the next year. This list encompasses both personal goals and professional goals to challenge you in all aspects of your life.

One way I measure my progress is through SMART Goals. This is a strategy that involves setting goals that are specific goals, achievable goals, and time-bound goals. You can learn more about the SMART goal strategy here. It’s a powerful tool when it comes to goal setting.

A lot can change in a year. I think it’s always a good exercise to set new goals every year and think about what you want to have accomplished by the end of the year. So without further ado, let’s dive into goals to set in 2024!

24 Goals To Set in 2024: Ideas To Challenge and Change You

1. Start a journal.

Journaling is a brilliant way to track your thoughts and feelings while also being able to reflect on them. It allows you to get express yourself honestly in a non-judgmental space.

It’s also kind of cool to be able to look back on your experiences from a year ago with fresh eyes and perspective.

I have always been an on-again and off-again journaler but my husband has journals spanning back decades and that’s a really cool thing.

Did you know you can journal for both your career and personal like? Journaling is a great tool for both your personal growth and professional development.

Will you start journaling?

2. Cut back on caffeine.

I think I’ve left this off my list of goals for the past few years but I’m creeping up on being a three cup a day kind of gal again and I don’t love it.

If you’re like me, maybe we should consider cutting back on caffeine together. In the very least we can try to wait 1-2 hours after waking up to indulge, right?

How can you cut back on caffeine?

3. Sleep more.

Sleeping more… something that should be on everyone’s goal list. Most of us are chronically tired and it’s really not doing much for our mental health, our moods, and our energy levels.

I actually love to wake up at 5 am so getting to bed at a more reasonable hour is important to me. I love my 8 hours of sleep!

This might mean cutting out some time on social media in the evenings or developing an evening routine that works extremely well for you.

How can you sleep more?

4. Spend less time on your phone.

I have been the person to delete Instagram from my phone before and loved every second of it. It is so nice to feel like I don’t have to check in constantly or waste endless hours just scrolling because I got caught in the algorithim.

Spending less time on your phone can look like putting it away after a certain hour, carrying a book with you, turning your phone on do not disturb… there are a lot of ways we can step out of the digital world and into the physical one.

How will you spend less time on your phone?

5. Read fiction.

I love reading fiction. Especially thrillers and romance novels. I also love listening to non-fiction books (reading them tends to put me to sleep!).

And as many lessons as there are in non-fiction books, I think it’s really important to read other genres that you are drawn to. There are many life lessons to be learned in fiction books!

6. Declutter 1,000 items.

I set out on this challenge to declutter 100 items a day for 10 days. It was surprisingly easy and I ended up way better off for it, honestly. I was finally able to get rid of things I had been holding on to just in case and literally never once needed.

You’ll get a lot of physical space back but also mental space if you take on this challenge.

What will you start decluttering?

7. Reorganize a cluttered area of your home.

On the same note, make it a goal to clean out and make a once neglected area of your home more functional. This could be somewhere hidden (like a closet) or somewhere more open, like your laundry room and entry way.

Consider what is cluttering up the space. How do you use this space? What is it lacking? Considering these few things can make a huge difference in how you alter your space.

What will you reorganize?

8. Plan a trip to somewere new.

Last year I wrote about taking a vacation over a trip. And I still stand by that as a worthy goal! It’s so important to be able to relax and not just take time off to be go-go-go.

This year, challenge yourself to plan a trip to somewhere new or somewhere you’ve always wanted to go to. Turks & Caicos is calling my name, personally.

Where will you go?

9. Make plans with friends and family.

I can’t lie, this is always a goal of mine. I love spending time with my friends and family. We enjoy planning and hosting events at our home and always look forward to brunch reservations or dinner celebrations.

After losing my mom in 2023, it’s more important to me than ever to prioritize spending time with people I love. Even if your family is chosen and not blood, it’s good for the soul to spend time with them.

How can you spend more time with the ones you love?

10. Do a no-spend month.

This is a financial challenge I love to attempt myself. Essentially, beyond basic bills and expenses, you try to spend as little money as possible.

I like to do this around the holidays especially because it’s really easy to get caught up in spending excessive amounts. With all of the deals and steals, we can become subject to the fear of missing out. And if it’s not getting us down emotionally, it’s definitely a problem financially!

Will you try a no-spend challenge?

11. Get a life insurance policy.

Life insurance may not be at the top of your to-do list but it’s an important thing that most of us should have. Whether or not your have kids or are married, it’s important to consider the fact that someone is going to have to take care of your affairs after your death.

Whether it’s your parents or your partner, your funeral expenses will need to be covered by someone. A life insurance policy is an act of maturity and respect. This is a big goal that I think it worth setting, especially if you have young children like I do.

Do you have life insurance?

12. Give a compliment everyday.

This is something that’s extremely easy to do but puts out a lot of goodness into the world. We can all easily compliment another person at least once a day.

Whether it’s in real life or in an Instagram or Tiktok comment, say something nice! It costs us nothing to be kind.

What compliment can you give today?

13. Go thrifting.

In the past year I’ve become very into thrifting and getting as much as possible secondhand. It’s so much better for the environment because it creates less waste and it’s better for our wallets too.

You’ll catch me at the thrift at least once a week. It’s a therapeutic experience for me and I’ve really come to enjoy it. I especially love thrifting for kids stuff — clothes, books, and games — thrift stores are a treasure trove for things like this!

I would also consider buying things on Facebook Marketplace, Mercari, Poshmark, etc to be thrifting! Shopping secondhand has a ton of benefits and you can find some really unique pieces at a steep discount.

What can you buy secondhand?

14. Use weekly affirmations.

I have been really into affirmations for the past year. But honestly? I find them most useful on a weekly basis.

Every Monday morning I like to set my intentions for the week with an affirmation. It’s usually financial or attitude related. I find it really helpful because it helps me recenter myself and get focused on my goals while keeping something powerful top of mind.

Will you try using affirmations?

15. Go to a new concert.

Last year I was lucky enough to be able to go to The Eras Tour and it was a great experience. I might not remember the entire concert but I do remember how much fun it was.

Because of the pandemic and having young kids, I haven’t been to as many concerts as I used to frequent but I am looking forward to going to a couple of shows in 2024. I’ll never regret spending money on live music.

What shows will you go to?

16. Delve into a subject you’ve never explored before.

What’s something you’ve always wanted to learn about but never took the time to delve into? Maybe it’s nature or gardening, maybe it’s space, or maybe even dinosaurs.

Buy some books or watch some YouTube videos or documentaries on a new subject. You never know how it will inspire you or what opportunities might arise from it.

What do you want to learn?

17. Do something that reminds you of childhood.

Going back to childhood is so freeing. We had very little responsibility and could spend hours just dreaming and imagining things. As kids, our minds are a blank slate — meaning they haven’t been influenced by any outside source yet.

What did you love to do as a child? What makes you feel most free? Think back to those moments in your life and try to recreate that feeling sometime this year. As the person who wrote the book on the topic, trust me when I say doing this is the best way to reignite your creativity!

How can you be more child-like?

18. Don’t watch TV for a month.

I’ve shared this before, but in general, I don’t really watch much TV these days. Of course we own a TV and do sometimes watch movies or reruns, but for the most part, TV is not part of my daily life.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to realize how much of a time suck it can be. Now that I am a parent, especially, the hours in the day are limited and I don’t want to spend my free time in front of a screen. What would you spend your time doing if you weren’t watching TV?

Can you watch less TV?

19. Try a new hobby.

When was the last time you tried something new? Do you have hobbies? What are you into? These are questions I ask myself all the time.

I have always, always wanted to get into calligraphy but still have not. I have even bought calligraphy books! I recently found a short course that teaches handwriting. And while it’s not formal calligraphy, I think this course is a bit more my speed so I’m going to put it on my to-do list for 2024!

Trying new hobbies is the often the first step to learning new skills – and that’s ultimately the best thing you can do for yourself and for your personal development!

What hobby do you want to try?

20. Get into a recycling routine.

I spent almost 10 years living in Seattle and they had quite robust recycling programs in place. However, where my family relocated to a few years ago has hardly any recycling in place. And not only that, if you do want to recycle, you have to pay for it! Absurd.

It’s been on my to-do list since we moved in to get a better system in place for ourselves. We do save our glass personally but we have to take it somewhere else to have it recycled. It’s a goal of mine for next year to figure out what we can actually recycle around here and how to get those systems in place.

How can you recycle more?

21. Donate or volunteer with causes you care about.

I have been donating regularly to Together Rising for quite some time now. I appreciate that they are able to take action and have a positive impact in the world. I also donate to other causes as well on a more one-off basis.

Volunteering and donating are two ways we can make a big impact in the world around us. Even a one time donation or volunteering once a year can make a change.

What will you donate to or volunteer with?

22. Learn a new recipe every month.

This was one of my goals from last year and it’s one I really love doing! I’ve come to really love cooking. I thought I was bad at it for many years but then for some reason, it just clicked in my mind that I needed a lot more practice.

Once I had that mind-swap, I was able to not fear cooking and start making more meals and trying new recipes on a regular basis. I do often try new recipes more than once a month, but I think for the amateur chef, once a month is a great way to try new things in the kitchen! It’s one of my top goals to set in 2024, personally. Simply because I enjoy it so much!

Cooking more is also a great way to learn a new skill! This might be a big goal if you’ve never done it before, but in my opinion, by saying you’ll do one a month, you’re breaking it into smaller goals that are more manageable.

What recipes will you cook up this year?

23. Build a new stream of income.

Money is tighter than ever for most families. We might not have control over the price of everything but we can have more control over the money we bring in.

In this way, it’s important to think like an entrepreneur: if your family is a business, how can you bring in more money? Often building a new stream of income means working on your professional growth as well.

Maybe this is selling something you create (I know a woman who makes great side hustle money selling custom wreaths) or selling a service (babysitting, lawn mowing, cleaning, etc). You could sign up to take surveys in your space time or learn how to maximize your credit card rewards.

What income stream will you add in 2024?

24. Track your goals.

This is the last goal I have for this year. I want to be better about tracking my goals in 2024. I do a decent job of writing my goals down but not the best job of tracking them on weekly, monthly or daily basis.

Using a habit tracker is one way to make sure you do this! It can be as simple or complex as you’d like it to be. I generally do better on a weekly cadence versus a daily one. I might not be able to get to something everyday but I can usually at least pull it off once or twice a week.

Break your goals into short-term goals to help you reach your large goals. It’s not as difficult as it sounds! For example, if you want to read 50 books a year, that averages to about 1 book per week. For a 300 page book, that’s just 40 pages per day! Developing an action plan to help you meet your goals can help you succeed in all areas of your life.

Will you track your goals this year?

What meaningful goals will you be setting in 2024?

I hope this list inspired you to think outside of your normal goal setting box and your comfort zone to think big about all that you could achieve in 2024. Let’s make this our best year yet!

Let me know the top goals you plan to set in the comments below! I’d love to hear your ideas too.

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