324: Stop Setting Goals. Do This Instead.

In this episode of Workday Playdate, Erin explores a freeing idea that might just change how you approach your life and work: stop setting goals for the sake of setting goals and start setting intentions instead.

Erin unpacks why traditional goal-setting often creates pressure, panic, and perpetual dissatisfaction. She shows how intention-setting brings us back to alignment, and introduces a simple five-step framework to help you shift from constant pursuit to purposeful presence. Your actions will actually reflect your core values, not just your to-do list.

Inside This Episode:

• Stop Worshipping Goals: Why goal-setting without meaning can disconnect you from what actually matters.
• Goals vs. Intentions: How goals create pursuit, but intentions create presence.
• Core Values = Compass: Why alignment is the real driver of fulfillment.
• The Five-Step Intention Framework: A practical, human approach to living and working with intention—without burning out.
• Joy Over Panic: How intention-setting helps you feel grounded, flexible, and more alive in your day-to-day.
• Life, Reframed: Why treating life like an improv scene changes everything.

Who This Episode Is For:

• High-achievers who feel weirdly unfulfilled after hitting goals
• Leaders craving presence instead of pressure
• Humans tired of optimizing every second of their lives
• Anyone seeking personal growth rooted in mindfulness and meaning
• Fans of improv, alignment, and living on purpose (hi, you’re home)

Your Freebie

You’ve tried the emails, the all-hands rollout, and the polished decks, but the vision still isn’t landing.

That’s because people don’t buy into a vision that’s presented to them; they buy into one they help shape.

The 30-Minute Vision-Setting Meeting Template gives you a simple, human-centered way to create alignment, spark ownership, and build real momentum. Download it here.

No, You Hang Up First (Let’s Keep Connecting)

• Did today’s episode resonate with you? Leave us a review sharing your favorite insight and we’ll send you a free signed copy of I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
• Have a question that we can answer? Leave us a Speakpipe audio clip and we’ll answer it in an upcoming episode.
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• Want access to a bunch of free resources for your work life? This is your personal jackpot that gives you access to the frameworks that help us thrive both personally and professionally. Whether you’re trying to improve your daily routine, flesh out an idea that you’ve had for quite some time, or want to add more play into your day - these resources have got your back.
• Want 1 email a week from us? Our well-loved Fail Fourward Friday gives you 4 Fails, 3 Awakenings, 2 Ideas, and 1 Laugh from the week that reminded us what being human is all about: to make failure a habit, be a lifelong learner, explore more, and never pass up an opportunity to laugh. Subscribe here.

Connect with Erin Diehl x improve it!

• Erin’s website
• Erin’s Instagram
• Erin’s TikTok
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