2025 is all about focus. In this post, I’m sharing how I narrowed down my priorities to just three bold goals for the year—and fried everything else. Discover my approach to balancing work, health, and family while staying true to what matters most. Plus, don’t miss the Dad Joke Double Dose for a little New Year’s laughter!
2025 Goals: Focus on the Best, Fry the Rest
Every year, I struggle with committing to just a few key goals. It’s not my fault—it’s the chickens squawking in my ear: “You can do it all, Phil!” But I can’t. Trying to do it all is a recipe for failure. (I’d much rather come up with more recipes for frying chickens).
I’ve tried Warren Buffett’s famous 25-to-5 methodology, where you write down your top 25 goals, circle your top 5, and ignore the rest. It’s a great method in theory, but those squawking chickens always find a way to drag me back into the other 20.
This year, I’m trying something completely different. I didn’t sit down to make a massive list. Instead, three clear priorities popped into my head. That’s it. Just three. Everything else has been moved to the Someday Maybe list (which won’t even be looked at until my book is finished) or—preferably—straight into the frying pan.
This lines up nicely with my keynote concept of focusing on your big, bold, brilliant ideas and going “whole hog” (or, in this case, three big, bold, brilliant ideas).
My Three Key Goals for 2025
- Finish the Fry Your Chickens! book by the end of Q1. This is all about delivering my message of humor and stress management in a way that readers can revisit anytime they need it. Once the book is done, I’ll revisit my priorities for the rest of the year.
- Complete Project DAD. This deeply meaningful project is one I’m incredibly excited to share more about as it unfolds.
- Continue to grow the business with a five-year plan to become a Million Dollar Speaker. 2024 was my best year yet, but there’s a lot of work to be done to reach this ambitious goal.
These goals are my North Star for the year ahead. Everything else is either fried or on hold until these three are done. It’s a liberating way to focus, and I highly recommend it.
What are your big goals for 2025? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear what you’re working on!
Balancing Life Beyond the Big Three
While I’m dedicating five hours a day to my top three goals in 2025, I’m also carving out two to three hours daily for health, fitness, and professional growth. This includes working toward my target weight through exercise and dieting, as well as learning more about AI, public speaking, and other tools to grow my business.
I make the most of this time by double dipping—combining activities like exercising or doing yoga while listening to a podcast or audiobook that helps me grow.
This approach also leaves me time to enjoy my morning routine, which I call A, B, C, and D: it’s a structured start to the day that sets a positive tone for everything that follows.
- A: Affirmations
- B: Bible reading
- C: Coffee
- D: Dogs (feeding and playing with them)
And it still leaves plenty of time for what matters most: spending time with my family. Whether it’s cooking dinner together, going on a shopping trip to the antique mall, or just enjoying an evening at home with our dogs, these moments are the heart of everything I do.
What’s Coming Up?
Here’s a sneak peek at what’s on the horizon:
- Keynotes: I will be speaking at the NextGen HTM Summit on Friday, January 17. This premier event focuses on Health Technology Management (HTM), bringing together industry leaders and innovators. It’s a fantastic opportunity to share insights and connect with professionals who are driving the future of HTM.
- The Book: Progress continues on Fry Your Chickens!. I’m on track to have it ready by the end of Q1 2025.
- Project DAD: I’ll be sharing more details about this exciting project as it unfolds—it’s going to be worth the wait!
Exciting things are ahead, and I can’t wait to share more with you in future posts.
Let’s Stay Connected
If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to share it or leave a comment below. I’m here to bring you laughs, lighten your stress load, and help you fry those chickens standing in your way.
Until next time, keep dancing, keep laughing, and keep frying those chickens!