--- title: How to Achieve Your Biggest Goals By the End of the Year description: Turn the holidays into inspiration. canonical: https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/ author: Levo League article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-21T17:00:20.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:45:10.576Z article:section: Ideas og:title: How to Achieve Your Biggest Goals By the End of the Year og:description: Turn the holidays into inspiration og:url: https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e74c423d7fbccf5/698875c78e06017df0463ce4/business-woman-cheering.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4731 og:image:height: 2661 og:image:alt: business-woman-cheering og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: How to Achieve Your Biggest Goals By the End of the Year twitter:description: Turn the holidays into inspiration twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e74c423d7fbccf5/698875c78e06017df0463ce4/business-woman-cheering.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How to Achieve Your Biggest Goals By the End of the Year > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. 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It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=0273b426-70e6-49c2-9c28-4199b34c9116&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How Complaining at Work Hurts Your Career [Watch (HLS stream): How Complaining at Work Hurts Your Career](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/BiVS6RWX.m3u8) (2:04)  _Published 2015-08-10. The Science of Motivation: Rick Tamlyn on Complaining at Work_ by [Zahra Barnes / Levo League](https://time.com/author/levo-league/) ## Zahra Barnes / Levo League Dec 21, 2015 5:00 PM UTC  Surprised businesswoman with arms raised looking at computer Surprised businesswoman with arms raised looking at computer Getty Images by [Zahra Barnes / Levo League](https://time.com/author/levo-league/) ## Zahra Barnes / Levo League Dec 21, 2015 5:00 PM UTC In today’s terrifying news, it’s almost the end of the year. I know, I know—it feels like just a second ago, you were smack-dab in the middle of glorious summer. The fact of the matter is that 2015 will be on its way out very soon, and a new year brings with it new goals. Before you throw yourself into tackling your 2016 resolutions, there’s one small housekeeping item: seeing your 2015 ones through to completion. Although you have the finish line of December 31, 2015 in sight, there are still almost two months to get it all done. Here, some clutch tips for doing just that. **1\.** **_Define_** **your goals** Maybe you’d like to land an amazing new job, give your lifestyle a healthy makeover, achieve world domination…you know, the usual suspects. While shooting for the stars is admirable, don’t overwhelm yourself by taking on too much in such a short period. Instead, choose your top two or three [goals](https://www.levo.com/articles/lifestyle/how-to-set-goals-in-5-simple-steps), depending on how big of an undertaking each one is. Then drill them down to the actionable parts that are only dependent on you, not other people. For example, instead of saying your goal is to get a [new job](https://www.levo.com/articles/career-advice/4-signs-its-time-to-start-looking-for-a-new-job), consider making it something like applying to three jobs per week until the end of the year. **2\. Shout them from the rooftops** Sharing your goals with people is one of the best ways to hold yourself accountable. While some, like working out more, are great for blasting on Twitter or Facebook, others like getting a new job? Not so much, since you wouldn’t want your current boss to stumble upon them! Instead of looping everyone in via social media, share more private objectives with three specific people: a mentor who gives genius advice, your best friend who basically doubles as your own personal cheerleading squad, and whichever family member believes in you wholeheartedly, and nags you just enough to get you moving. **3\. Create an action plan** To keep yourself on track, create one measurable achievement you should reach every week, whether it’s setting up an [informational interview](https://www.levo.com/articles/career-advice/10-intelligent-questions-to-ask-on-an-informational-interview), joining a new networking group, or pitching a brilliant project to your boss. **4\. Clear your schedule of distractions** It’s amazing how many hidden pockets of time you can find if you just look. A half hour of browsing Facebook here, 15 minutes of water cooler chat there, it all adds up. While leisure time is important for helping your brain rest and then rebound chock-full of new ideas, too much downtime can be detrimental when you’re in a goals time crunch. Try cutting out one time-waster each day, and instead using those moments to chip away at your target. **5\. Hit the gym** Does [exercise](https://www.levo.com/articles/lifestyle/the-pros-and-cons-of-exercising-before-and-after-work) take away from time you could devote to working on your goals? Sure. But it could also boost your determination in a way that makes it all worth it. Not only is your system flooded with feel-good endorphins after a sweat session, working out can provide crucial time for your brain to disengage from its normal heavy lifting. That makes exercise a prime time for aha moments. Even if you don’t have one, chances are you’ll be in a good mood after! **6\. Start your mornings with the hardest task first** If you really want to power through the remaining days before the end of the year, make the most of your mornings. First thing when you sit down at your desk, knock the scariest goal-related task off your to-do list. You’ll get an energizing “I can do this!” rush that will help you face whatever challenges arise throughout the rest of the day. **7\. Get a timer ASAP** A timer is about to become your true BFF, thanks to this tried-and-true tip. Chop your day up into chunks of dedicated time to work on different parts of your goal, but build in rest throughout. When you tell yourself you’ll work on one task for, say, 40 minutes, then relax for five, you reap major benefits. If you’re facing down a scary project, it’s a way to reassure yourself you won’t be toiling away forever because you’ve committed to having a break. This method also helps ward off [multitasking](https://www.levo.com/articles/career-advice/is-multitasking-frying-your-brain) (it’s a total myth!) since each time segment has a purpose. **8\. Wrap up every day with a ta-da list** You’re more likely to care about short-term benefits than long-term payoffs. It’s why it’s temptingly easy to blow through three episodes of _Quantico_ when you could be [organizing your email](https://www.levo.com/articles/lifestyle/no-more-email) That immediate reward is often more attractive than putting effort toward a benefit you may not see for a while. That’s why creating [a ta-da list](http://www.levo.com/articles/productivity-2/10-expert-approved-tips-to-triumph-over-summer-procrastination) at the end of the day can be so crucial. Looking over everything you finished can inspire a source of pride, which may be enough to stoke the flames of your motivation. **9\. Turn the holidays into inspiration** You might be reading all these tips and thinking, “Uh, hello, Zahra, do you _know_ how busy my schedule is about to get?” Yes, yes I do. The holidays beget cocktail parties, office celebrations, and enough family get-togethers to fill every day of the week. Luckily, you don’t have to turn into a hermit during the most fun time of the year. Instead, use a rewards system. Attach each social event to a specific milestone you want to hit by the time it arrives. If you want to be strict about it, only allow yourself to go to said event if you’ve knocked that step off your list. Every time you look forward to the festivity in question, you’ll also get a reminder of what you have to accomplish so you can go forth and be merry, not only guilt-free, but full of excitement about what you just achieved. _This_ [_article_](http://www.levo.com/articles/career-advice/how-to-achieve-goals-by-the-end-of-the-year?utm%5Fsource=syndication-time) _originally appeared on_ [_Levo.com_](http://www.levo.com) _More from Levo.com:_ * [15 Ways to Start Living a More Organized Life](https://www.levo.com/articles/lifestyle/more-organized-life?utm%5Fsource=syndication-time) * [7 Ways to Be Productive Every Morning of the Week](https://www.levo.com/articles/lifestyle/7-things-to-add-to-your-morning-routine?utm%5Fsource=syndication-time) * [The Secret to Reaching Those Big Goals](https://www.levo.com/articles/lifestyle/the-secret-to-reaching-those-big-goals?utm%5Fsource=syndication-time) ## Transcript what complaining does to our life and our career is huge. Our life moves in the direction of what we think about, what we talk about to each other primarily. So if we spend a good portion of our day complaining about what's not working, it actually starts to generate more of what's not working. [ MUSIC ] Motivation comes from having a conversation about what do we Create. Rather than the complaining conversation that we have most of our days. Many of use get caught here. Because it's easy to complain with each other, it feels good. As a coach and as a trainer, a motivator. I come along and say let's flip that. Rather than talk about what are you complaining about in your life, what's not working. Lets talk about what's working. Because then all of a sudden your life will start to go in that direction. There's little fibers in the brain, like the neural pathways they're called. And the more we complain, that neural pathways of that complaint actually grows a little bit every time you think about it. Remember the vinyl records? You play that record over and over again in the same groove, what happens it gets stuck in that groove and that's what happens in the brain. So it literally becomes a habit because the chemical nature of the brain says I have a thicker wire over there. I'm going to go there. We don't even notice it. We don't even notice it. So I come along and start to have a person think and really push against that and say stop doing that. Let's flip the conversation What is it you want to create? What is it you want to have in your life? Rather than what's not working in your life. A game to play is literally what are the thoughts that come in and what are you talking about? Catch it and have a little post it. Go okay, that was a negative moment and do a little check mark to negative moment or creative moment. Because I think those are the distinctions. Make two little lists and the end of the day go oh 80 % was spent over there. No wonder. These are very simple tool but it creates consciousness. It's a habit and it just starts spinning in that direction and we forget we can change the conversation. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/"},"headline":"How to Achieve Your Biggest Goals By the End of the Year","datePublished":"2015-12-21T17:00:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:45:10.576Z","description":"Turn the holidays into inspiration","url":"https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/","keywords":["advice","Living","Business topic","productivity","Know Right Now","knowrightnow"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e74c423d7fbccf5/698875c78e06017df0463ce4/business-woman-cheering.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Zahra Barnes / Levo League"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1e74c423d7fbccf5/698875c78e06017df0463ce4/business-woman-cheering.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"business-woman-cheering","caption":"business-woman-cheering","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/advice/","name":"advice"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/","name":"How to Achieve Your Biggest Goals By the End of the Year"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: How to be Mentally Strong","description":"It’s estimated that you say 300-1,000 to yourself in a minute: keep those words positive","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/uzXSRUbM/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-08-25T17:28:45.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uzXSRUbM.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Complaining at Work Hurts Your Career","description":"The Science of Motivation: Rick Tamlyn on Complaining at Work","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/BiVS6RWX/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-08-10T17:52:49.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/BiVS6RWX.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/","duration":"PT2M4S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4152364/year-end-productivity/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```