Instead of Outcomes or Resolutions, Focus on Wins

Newsletter

Several weeks ago, I received a letter in the mail. It was from a writing retreat facilitator, an experience in which I participated in last May.

The letter wasn’t from the facilitator; it was from my past self.

I was initially confused. Once I opened it and started reading, I remembered: She had us write a letter to ourselves that articulated our hopes and goals for the year. Then she collected our letters, stuffed in self-addressed envelopes, and promised to mail them out to us in six months.

Reading what I wrote to my future self, I could see the optimism. We were coming off two days of reading quality literature like a writer and applying those skills to our own practice.

The question is, did I follow through? Did I accomplish what I set out to do?

It’s a binary question: either I accomplished my goal or I didn’t. This “all or nothing” thinking is likely why people fail with resolutions: they focus too much on outcomes instead of process and all the steps they took to achieve growth.

For example, I won at reading. I exceeded my reading challenge goal on Goodreads. More importantly, I read what I wanted to read: what interested me or helped me in some way, “like a picky thief”, as Roger Rosenblatt recommends.

Writing as a practice…not so much. Not that I didn’t write. I produced a field guide and an online course as companions to my last book. I submitted a personal essay to a literary journal. I created a new course and guide through Choice Literacy on using a coach’s notebook. And I write here.

But is my writing a practice? Novelist Dani Shapiro doesn’t see her writing as a practice, but rather as a “series of habits strung together.” Horror writer Stephen King concurs.

Reflecting on how these professional writers view their work, I have concluded that I may be overthinking what it means to have a writing practice. I just need to create a habit of writing.

What I know about habits is that we tend to repeat rewarding behaviors and avoid ones that feel hard.

So instead of simply resolving to write a book or an article for a professional journal, and then expect it to happen, I plan to focus on celebrating my regular efforts.

This has been effective for me before. When I wrote my last book, I kept a habit tracker. For every 50 words I wrote, I marked an 'x' in a box. Each 'x' was a win, even if 50 words were all I managed that day. But once I hit 50 words, I often found myself writing more.

Beyond writing, how can educators focus on wins vs. chasing outcomes or resolutions?

To be clear, I am not anti-resolutions or goals; I just realize they are nothing but writing on paper until we have instilled some type of regular habit of recognizing effort and growth in our work toward them.

Tom Drummond sees wins when he applies effective coaching moves with clients. One could mentally note these, or even better document them in your coaching notebook with an asterisk.

Any leader could apply this habit. For instance, whenever you have a positive interaction with a colleague, pause and reflect: What did I do to facilitate that conversation effectively? Then write it down or capture a voice memo in your preferred notes app. Over time you will have a bank of wins to call upon for a staff newsletter, a performance review, or simply to review and celebrate.

Kelley Begley McCall uses a traditional calendar to celebrate personal and professional accomplishments. This timeline of successes can be easily reviewed for self-recognition.

For teachers, note 1-3 wins at the bottom of your lesson plans each day. Leaders can celebrate staff wins through emails or social media, sharing images and captions of positive observations. The result? Everyone wins.

What if your resolution for the year wasn’t one big accomplishment, but 100 small wins toward it? That’s how software company Evernote made improvements over 2024.

I am emulating these examples in my coach’s notebook. On the left is my future log. I’ll recognize and project out milestones there. On the right is a wins tracker for personal growth, work projects, family life, and creative pursuits. It’s easier for me to visually review. I can also share my progress with my wife and anyone else I trust.

I’ll still be working toward priority goals, but my focus will be on showing up daily for my writing, my work, and my family. Celebrating these small wins reminds me that progress is about growth, not perfection—and that consistency, more than outcomes, is where true success lies.

Questions for you:

• What goals are you working toward?

• What do you want to regularly celebrate this year that will most likely get you “there”?

• What small wins can you celebrate each day or week to move toward your goals?

• What habits can you reinforce to help you focus on effort and growth?

• Who can you rely on as an accountability buddy to support you and vice-versa?

Recommended Reading

• In addition to the three writing guides I hyperlinked in this post (affiliate links), I enjoyed Light the Dark: Writers on Creativity, Inspiration, and the Artistic Process. It is a compilation of essays and interviews edited by Washington Post columnist Joe Fassler. The featured artists lift the hood on their writing process and share great advice. One of my favorite quotes is from novelist David Mitchell: “You’ve only got time to be a halfway decent parent, plus one other thing.”

• Lori Leibovich organizes helpful and simple strategies for future-proofing your happiness this year (New York Times, gift link, h/t Regie). One recommendation, by Chris Bennett, Nike Running’s global head coach, is to avoid making resolutions and instead “double down on the healthy habits you already have and then celebrate them.” Bennett notes that “we do really great, awesome things that we would make a resolution to do if we weren’t already doing them.”

• In this classic article for Orion Magazine, Derrick Jensen questions the usefulness of hope, which he sees as “a longing for a future condition over which you have no agency; it means you are essentially powerless.” The antidote? Do the work that matters to us and makes a difference, no matter how small.

Premium Resource

Looking for more presence and productivity without adding on more app?

I have partnered with Choice Literacy to offer “The Coach’s Notebook”, a practical online course/live event experience for busy educators.

Any instructional leader can learn this system:

1. Get a notebook and a favorite pen.

2. Learn to leverage your notebook as a tool and a system for productivity.

3. Lead with joy, presence, and intention.

I hope you

can join us!

Take care,

Matt