The New Year is right around the corner. By no means are we trying to rush you, but December offers the perfect time to start thinking about goals and resolutions for 2026. And if you want to actually stick to your resolutions this year, psychologist and trainer Vladimir Novkov of Sports Personalities recommends building a “goal hierarchy.”
“The single most impactful change is moving beyond a sole reliance on ‘SMART’ goals and instead constructing a goal hierarchy,” he says. “The SMART framework—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound—enjoys widespread popularity, but its origins lie in corporate management rather than behavioral psychology.”
If you’ve tried using SMART goals and found little success, you’re not alone. A different approach can provide the structure needed to make your health and fitness resolutions stick.
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The Goal Hierarchy
Research suggests that people achieve better results when they structure their resolutions across three interconnected levels, Novkov explains.
Superordinate goals capture the “why.” These are broad, identity-driven values such as wanting to be a healthy, independent person. Intermediate goals provide general direction, like improving cardiovascular fitness or getting better sleep. Subordinate goals define the “what” through specific actions, such as running for 30 minutes every Monday.
“Where most people stumble is setting only subordinate goals—the specific action—without anchoring them to a superordinate goal—the deeper identity or purpose,” he says.
Why It Works
A goal hierarchy works because it adds flexibility and equifinality. When someone focuses only on a specific action—the subordinate goal—missing a single workout can feel like total failure, often leading them to quit. But a goal hierarchy prevents people from falling into this trap by incorporating equifinality: the idea that there are multiple ways to reach the same goal.
“Consider the following scenario. Your superordinate goal is ‘to be a healthy person’ and your intermediate goal is ‘move more regularly.’ If you miss your scheduled gym session—subordinate goal—you haven’t actually failed the larger mission,” he explains. “You retain the flexibility to substitute a different action, perhaps a long walk or a home stretching routine, that still honors the superordinate goal.”
These broad, identity-driven goals keep motivation strong through setbacks, unlike only setting specific, smaller targets.
How to Implement the Goal Hierarchy
“Seek synergy across your goals,” Novkov says. “I consistently advise clients to select activities satisfying multiple intermediate goals simultaneously.”
For instance, a morning outdoor run supports weight loss, but it also improves sleep by regulating your circadian rhythm and reducing stress through movement and fresh air. Seeing how one action benefits multiple health areas makes the effort feel more worthwhile and boosts motivation to stick with it.
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