Quit the long-term goals

STOKERS: a weekly goal-setting framework.

Having a vision isn't bad. I used to be that person, preaching about "big, juicy goals". 

But there's a toxicity to the cult of future-focused achievement that we need to address. When you're always squinting at some far-off "1000 true fans" finish line, you miss the vibrant, messy beauty of connecting with the readers you have right now. You might be so fixated on hitting arbitrary subscriber goals that you fail to notice the unique voice and perspective you're developing with each post. 

So, what's the alternative?

James Clear, author of the multi-million-copy-sold book Atomic Habits, suggests focusing on the system instead of focusing on the goals.¹

“None of this is to say that goals are useless. However, I’ve found that goals are good for planning your progress and systems are good for actually making progress.”²

This is where the STOKERS framework comes in. No, it's not another BS corporate acronym designed to squeeze more productivity out of you.

I stumbled upon STOKERS during my stint in corporate coaching—yeah, I've been there too—and I've retooled it for daily benefit.

Here's the deal: STOKERS is typically used at the beginning of coaching sessions to nail down topics, clarity, focus, and outcomes. But for us recovering corporate types, it's a weekly sanity check to keep our writerly pursuits on track.

Why weekly? Because let's face it, we're all susceptible to what James Clear calls "planning fallacy." We overestimate what we can accomplish in the long term and underestimate what we can do in the short term. Weekly goals force us to get real and stay grounded.

Using STOKERS on a weekly basis does three crucial things for the aspiring Substack writer:

1. It keeps you honest. No more hiding behind vague, year-long goals. You're accountable to yourself every seven days.

2. It allows for rapid course correction. The corporate world might move at a glacial pace, but the internet doesn't. Weekly check-ins mean you can pivot faster.

3. It helps you build a sustainable system. Remember, Clear emphasizes focusing on the system, not just the goals. By reviewing your priorities weekly, you're not just chasing outcomes—you're refining your process.

The beauty of this approach is its simplicity. At the start of each week, you sit down with your STOKERS framework and ask yourself the hard questions.

• What's the one thing I need to focus on this week to move my writing career forward?

• Am I still on track with my overall vision, or do I need to make adjustments?

Photo by Jazmin Quaynor on Unsplash

The STOKERS Breakdown:

1. Subject: What actually matters to you right now in your writing journey? Not your imagined TED Talk topic five years from now. Right. Now. 

One of my favourite authors and the voice behind

🌻 A Year of Mental Health

Chris Guillebeau suggests pruning your calendar. It’s sort of Marie Kondo's ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying’ style, but instead of focusing on decluttering physical things, you focus on decluttering your schedule. Love it!

Guillebeau suggests Going through your schedule and asking, "Do I need to do this thing? Is it serving a purpose in my life?"³

2. Timing: You've got 60 precious minutes this week between your day job and life commitments. How are you going to invest them in your Substack dream? Hint: endlessly tweaking your newsletter design doesn't count. 

If it’s still a struggle for you to decide on your priorities, remember

Sarah Knight

advice: 

“Every bit of time, energy, and/or money that you spend on shit you don’t even care about is time, energy, and/or money you no longer have left to spend on the stuff you do care about.”⁴

3. Outcome: What do you want to have accomplished for your Substack by Sunday night? Be specific. A rough draft of your next post? 10 new newsletter subscribers?  

The author of this Forbes article says that setting goals helps you focus better. It triggers your behaviour, guides your focus, keeps you going, and helps you stay on track. Plus, it helps you become better at managing yourself.

And there are more scientific reasons why having goals work (I am referring to short-term, weekly goals). If you would like a bit of a deep dive, here’s the article that deals with some fascinating science behind goal setting.⁵

Write down your goals and intentions for the week in a journal or planner. Writing things down helps solidify your commitment and reminds you of what you're working towards. You can write your intention by replying to this email or leaving it in the comments below. 

4. Knowledge: How will you know you've nailed it? Forget vanity metrics for a second. How will you feel about your progress as a writer and creator? 

5. Essence: Why does this particular goal matter for your writing career? Dig deep. If your answer is "because some guru said I need 10K subscribers to quit my job," try again. 

Our brain has a reward system that makes us feel awesome when we achieve something. It's all thanks to this chemical called dopamine that floats through our brain and gives us a sweet, pleasurable feeling. When we work hard and achieve something, our brain releases even more dopamine, which motivates us to keep going and accomplish even more.⁶

And what do you need to know about this particular hormone? Dopamine is the happy hormone. And we want more of that happy hormone. 

Yet, if you still struggle to get motivated to take action on your weekly plan — the guaranteed way is to consider the consequences of “not doing a thing”. Think about what you might miss out on or lose if you stall your progress.

6. Role: Who's keeping you accountable on your Substack journey? Find your person – maybe another aspiring writer or a supportive reader.

Remember how much harder you'd push yourself when your team was counting on you? That's the power of accountability.

“Whether it’s a person or an app that sends us reminders, we make better choices when we’re being watched.”⁷

7. Start: What's the first, tiniest step you can take toward your Substack success? Make it so small it's almost embarrassing. Opening a new Google doc counts. 

8. The only task for this week: Pick ONE thing to move your newsletter forward. Just one. This is your non-negotiable for the week, even if your corporate job tries to eat your soul. 

Lastly, check your commitment and, finally, if you must, schedule it using your favourite time blokcs.

Commitment level:

• On a scale of 1-10 (1 - very little, 10 - super high), how committed you are to getting this action done?

Scheduling:

• When will you take this action? (Review your schedule  and add a time block to your calendar)

---

The Bottom Line 

Look, I'm not saying to completely abandon all future planning for your writing career. But maybe, just maybe, we can ease up on the pressure to have our entire Substack future mapped out before we've even hit "publish" on our first post. Instead, let's focus on showing up for our writing, and for our readers, week by week, in small but meaningful ways. 

1. Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead by James Clear

2. Forget About Setting Goals. Focus on This Instead by James Clear

3. ACTIVITY: Prune Your Calendar

4. Should You Give That Fuck? by Sarah Knight

5. The Science of Setting Goals – and How to Achieve Them

6. How motivation works in the brain: Exploring the science by Elizabeth Perry

7. To Create a Healthy Habit, Find an Accountability Buddy