Habits vs Goals – What’s the Difference?

Understanding the difference between habits vs goals is crucial for achieving success and maintaining productivity. While both play vital roles in personal development, they serve different purposes and require distinct approaches. In this post, we’ll break down the nuances of habits vs goals and explore how each contributes to your overall success. Discover how to effectively set and manage habits and goals to create a balanced and productive life.

According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, a goal is “the end toward which effort is directed” whereas a habit is “an acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary.”

In other words, habits are the repeated actions that get you towards your goal (or keep you from your goal, if the habits are not in line with your end goal).

January is a common time for us to begin looking at our lives and decide if there are things we want to change. It’s normal for priorities to shift over time, and in my opinion, we should revisit them more often than once a year. I’m going to share some of the tools that I used to create my new goals and habits plan for this year, so keep reading!

Quite a few years ago, my physical health, specifically gaining strength, was a high priority. I was a single mom with two young kids and I needed to make time for something that was just for ME. So, I joined a gym. I got a trainer (and she was AWESOME!). I started jogging for warm up before weights. Now, I’m gonna be completely honest – I had NEVER been a runner. I mean, I took speed walking as one of my PE classes in college. Seriously. (The other was archery.) But my trainer made an off-hand comment that changed things for me. “For not being a runner, you have pretty good form.” That was enough for me to start trying to do more than just loosen up my muscles before a workout. I trained for a 5k…then a 10k…then a half marathon. I thought I would stop there, but nope…I ended up training for (and finishing) the 2015 Marine Corps Marathon. I don’t remember my time; it wasn’t stellar (but I didn’t get picked up by the bus either).

After I completed that marathon, I promptly stopped running.

At that point, I was married with SIX kids in my house with some regularity. Early morning runs were hard to begin with, but add on a new family, a new business, and a new marriage, and my priorities shifted. Here I am 7+ years later, and priorities are shifting again. My daughter and I were asked if we wanted to run a 5k with some friends. My daughter says YES…

So here I am, setting running goals again.

I will tell you one thing that is different this time – I am not in it alone. Little Miss is doing this right along side me, and when I’m not motivated, knowing that she is watching me is enough motivation to get me moving again.

If you have someone who is working towards similar goals, I highly recommend a pacing partner! I won’t say accountability partner because the only person who can truly hold you accountable is YOU!

So here is one of my goals and one habit that is going to help me reach that goal:

Goal: run a 5k in March.

Habit: walk/run daily, in increasing distances/paces (with some rest days).

I knew that if we were going to be successful, we both needed some new running shoes. Mine were old, and she didn’t have any. So off we went to the local running store to be fitted for running shoes. (PS If you decide to pick up running as a habit, I HIGHLY suggest having someone fit you for shoes.) Shoes, inserts, and socks acquired. ✔

I also knew that we needed to make some adjustments to our eating habits if we were going to properly fuel our bodies for this new goal. I pulled out a bunch of clean eating recipe books from the cabinet where they’ve been collecting dust, and Little Miss pulled together our first week’s meal plan for breakfast, lunch and snacks. (We already meal plan for dinners, so we didn’t need help there.)

After we snagged our new running kicks, we stopped at the store to grab some fresh produce and other yummy stuff for our meal plan. I grabbed a Fitbit while we were there (because it was on SALE my friend!!). I knew that it would help us more accurately track our miles and our speed so that we could see improvement as we made our way through our training.

When setting goals and creating new habits to support those goals, it’s important to set yourself up for success with the right tools.

Just like shoes, food, and a Fitbit were some of the tools we needed to be successful in training for a 5k, there are other tools that we used in the planning process.

Here’s my favorite inserts for planning and tracking goals and habits!

1. Goals Insert – This insert has sections to record your big goal, smaller goals to help you reach that big goal, steps to take to reach the goal, and why the goal is important to you.
2. Goals and Habit Tracker – This insert makes it easy to plan out your goals and track the habits you need to make the goals happen. Write out your goals in the goals section on the left page. Then decide what you need to do as a habit to make those goals happen. Use the page on the right side to write those habits and check them off daily. You’ve got this!
3. Notes Insert – Take your Notes right in your lifestyle organizer. This insert of lined pages leaves you the freedom to just write, whether that’s brainstorming ideas, journaling as you’re working on your goals, or just keeping notes on life in general.
4. Weekly Food and Activity Tracker – Keep track of your meals, activity, and water intake in this weekly insert. This one gives me enough space to write out what I’ve eaten for the day and track my activity without making me track things that will send me into an obsessive spiral (e.g. calorie counting). (shown below)
5. Meal & Grocery – A busy mom’s dream insert is our Meal and Grocery Insert. Write your meals, write your list, and go! You are ready for the week with what is for dinner and this insert will help keep you on budget getting your shopping done in one trip! (Shown to the left in our Boba limited-edition version.)

Have you already set goals for yourself? Determined what habits you need to implement to get there? I’d love for you to tell me about them in the comments before you leave! You can also snag my printable Tips for Building New Habits!

For more help in creating your perfect planner to track those new goals and habits, check out The Beginner’s Guide to Creating a Personalized Planner.

Until next time, coordinate that chaos, friend!