Setting the Course: My 2025 Goals
Every year, I take the time to reflect on what truly matters—what will move me forward, strengthen my relationships, and make me a better version of myself. This year, my goals fall into four key areas I’ve previously outlined: athletics, marriage, work, and parenting. While some are easy to measure (like training hours or race times), others require consistency and refinement over time. Let’s dive into each area.
Athletic Goals: Training with Purpose
Athletics is the most metric-driven part of my life, making it easy to set clear benchmarks. My primary goal is consistency—averaging at least eight hours per week of training without compromising my commitments to family, work, and personal well-being.
From an outcome perspective, I want to set personal bests in both the Olympic distance and Half-Ironman triathlons. While race results aren’t always predictable, at a minimum I can control my preparation and training. That means prioritizing injury prevention through strength training, mobility work, and recovery practices to keep me performing at my best all year.
My next post will outline these goals in more detail, look at the training needed to get me there, and recap January’s training volume.
Marriage: Prioritizing Connection
Strong relationships aren’t built by accident; they require intentional effort. One of the key systems I’m focusing on is a bi-weekly check-in where we review our goals and priorities for the upcoming weeks, discuss any challenges we encountered in the previous weeks, and celebrate small victories.
Additionally, we’ve gotten much better about scheduling a bi-weekly date night where we can unwind and share personal time together without the kids. If I can look back at the end of the year and see that we consistently set aside this time, it’s a win. The goal isn’t just to hammer out logistics and go on dates but to strengthen our bond. If we’re not seeing that outcome, I’ll need to adjust the approach.
Work: Maximizing Productivity and Balance
This year, I want to increase my productivity by leveraging AI tools more effectively. At the same time, I recognize the need to set better boundaries—protecting my time to focus on deep work while also making space for training and personal commitments. I’m not yet entirely sure how I’ll achieve these, but I’ll return to this topic in a month once I have some more concrete examples of activities that are and aren’t going well.
I also want to integrate movement into my workday: recovery rides, mobility sessions, and quick runs during lunch. The goal is to align my work habits with my athletic goals instead of treating them as competing priorities.
Parenting: Being Fully Present
One of my non-negotiables is protecting family time—especially in the evenings and on weekends. That means being fully present when I’m home, rather than letting work or training encroach on that time.
To make this work, I plan to schedule workouts early in the morning before my kids wake up, during naps, or after they’re in bed. This way, I can keep progressing in my athletic goals while ensuring that I’m actively involved in their development and creating lasting memories with them.
This also means turning off notifications after work and avoiding the urge to check pings and emails when I’m with my kids.
Final Thoughts: The Power of Systems
Success in any area of life isn’t just about setting goals—it’s about building systems that make those goals sustainable. If I can consistently stick to these habits, I’ll consider this year a success. And if something isn’t working? I’ll adjust. The goal isn’t perfection; it’s progress.
Here’s to a year of growth, balance, and impact.
