Goal‑Setting and Fresh Starts

Goal Setting can be difficult when you live with disability or chronic illness. Sometimes other people try to set our goals for us – these could be health professionals, the NDIS or our family and friends. Even when we are setting goals ourselves, if we set expectations too high, it can lead to disappointment if we don’t reach our goals. If we set our expectations too low, then we might not feel we are making positive progress.

It can help to set smaller, realistic goals that lead to a bigger longer-term goal. It can also help to be clear on what you want to achieve but flexible about the timeframe.

There are two approaches that I find work for me, and both are about my personal values and taking small imperfect actions to move closer to them.

The first is setting a theme for the year. I first heard about the idea from a leader I admire in the disability sector. This is my third year setting a theme. After The Year of Connection, and The Year of saying “No” (setting better boundaries to protect my energy), this year’s theme is Purpose. My goal this year is to be clearer about my purpose within my community and my personal life and to be thoughtful in how I spend my energy.

This idea comes from Dr Megan Anna Neff, author of Neurodivergent Insights: Opens in new window . The idea is to reflect on your values, to decide what is important to you and how you can move towards that value in sustainable, realistic ways that work best with your brain (and body). This approach helps to overcome the “all or nothing” perfectionistic thinking that can often derail traditional New Year’s resolutions. Rather than “failing” after missing one day or making one “bad” choice, you can ask yourself “am I moving in the direction I want? This gentler approach can strengthen your motivation and persistence over time.

My enthusiasm often means I ignore my need for rest and my calendar is overscheduled! By thinking about how important my family and my health are to me, I recognised that taking time out to rest more often makes my relationships stronger and helps me to manage my neurological symptoms.

How do you approach goals and resolutions? Are there any resources that you use to help you reflect, set intentions and maintain consistent (or inconsistent) progress? We’d love to hear from you.

If you'd like a head start on your goal setting, check out this curated collection of articles, videos, and tools focused on values‑aligned, accessible, and neurodiversity‑affirming approaches to goal‑setting.

Values‑Based and Neurodiversity‑Affirming Goal Setting

Dr Megan Anna Neff (2025): Fresh Starts and New Year’s Resolutions: A Values-Based Approach to Fresh Starts: Opens in new window .

Goal Setting for People with Intellectual Disability

Council for Intellectual Disability (2020): Setting Goals (My Choice Matters Workbook): Opens in new window

Goal Setting with Disability & Chronic Illness

• Zoe Simmons (2025): New year, same you: setting sustainable goals as a disabled chronically ill person: Opens in new window
• CFS Unravelled (2025): Goal Setting When Chronically Ill: Get Real or Get Going: Opens in new window
• Elinor Brown (2023): Goal setting with chronic illness & disability (ME/CFS): Opens in new window

Yearly Themes & Alternative Goal-Setting Frameworks

• Grant Hanson (2023): How a Yearly Theme and BUILD Framework Help Me Organize My Life: Opens in new window
• Lora de Vries (2025): How to Set a Yearly Theme for 2026 in 3 Steps!: Opens in new window

Practical Goal Inspiration

Cute Little Paper (n.d.): Goal Setting Ideas – A List of 100 Goals: Opens in new window

ADHD‑Friendly Approaches to Goal Setting

• How to ADHD (2021): Why it's So Hard to Achieve a Goal (ft. ADHD coach Alan Graham): Opens in new window
• How to ADHD (2024): Why SMART Goals Aren't Always Smart (And What I Do Instead): Opens in new window
• How to ADHD (2026): Why 2026 Bingo is Perfect for ADHD Brains: Opens in new window