Goals tend to fail because of one reason and one reason only: there aren't trackable on a daily basis, according to an article on Inc.com. When a goal isn't trackable on a daily basis, it becomes exponentially more difficult to feel as though you're moving in the right direction.

Unfortunately, most people don't set concrete, measurable goals. Instead, they set big, overarching, difficult-to-measure goals for themselves, because they love the idea of the end result. 

Challenge yourself to do this: Only set goals you can accomplish within 7 days. Every time you set a goal, ask yourself if you can realistically accomplish it in 7 days. If you can, reverse-engineer what you need to do over the next week to accomplish it. How many hours do you need to devote to it each day? How will you know when you've crossed the finish line?

If you can't accomplish it in 7 days, the goal is too big. It's all right to have a big goal on the horizon, but you'll never get there if you can't break it down into actionable steps. So ask yourself, "If my massive goal is all the way over there, what do I need to get done this week to move myself in that direction?"

The 7-day rule for achieving goals is effective because a week is always more than enough time to get something substantial done. The problem is, many people rarely stay focused on their goals for a week straight. Instead, they daydream about the big reward at the end, thinking there is plenty of time.

Instead, think that you don't have all the time in the world, but have just 7 days. Get it done now. And at the end of next week, reflect again and ask yourself, "Now that I've got that piece done, what's next?"

And then repeat.