Why We Struggle to Get Things Done: Five Common Pitfalls

We all have things we want to achieve—whether it’s personal goals like getting fit or professional milestones like growing a business. Yet despite our best intentions, some goals remain out of reach. In my work advising startups and teams, I’ve seen time and again how good ideas fizzle out, even when they seem crucial. This isn’t because people lack motivation—it’s because they fall into one of five common traps.

Here’s why we struggle to get things done—and how to break free.

1. We Haven’t Prioritized Our Goals

There’s an old saying: “If everything is important, nothing is important.” This perfectly captures the first reason people and teams fall short—they try to tackle too many goals at once. When faced with multiple priorities, focus becomes fragmented, making it nearly impossible to make meaningful progress on anything.

It’s the same with companies. Day-to-day operations—fulfilling orders, responding to customers, maintaining infrastructure—are already a full workload. Add in competing goals, and employees quickly become overwhelmed. The solution is selective prioritization.

By choosing one primary objective and aligning efforts around it, teams can stay focused. The OKR framework helps by setting one objective supported by three key results, encouraging teams to concentrate their energy on what matters most.

2. We Don’t Communicate the Goal Enough

As Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, famously said, “When you’re tired of saying it, people are starting to hear it.” A critical part of achieving any goal—whether personal or organizational—is repeating the message consistently.

Setting a goal isn’t enough. Leaders must weave it into everyday conversations, meetings, and decisions. Progress toward the goal should be discussed in weekly meetings, status emails, and even Friday celebrations. Keeping the goal front and center ensures it doesn’t get lost amid the noise of daily responsibilities.

Consistent communication not only keeps people aligned but also helps build accountability. When the goal is part of the company’s daily rhythm, it becomes impossible to ignore.

3. We Don’t Have a Clear Plan to Execute

Many people assume that willpower alone is enough to achieve their goals: “I just need to try harder.” Unfortunately, willpower is a finite resource. Research by psychologist Roy Baumeister has shown that self-control gets depleted throughout the day—so by the time you’re deciding whether to skip the gym or indulge in a slice of cake, willpower is often spent.

The same holds true for professional goals. A clear process and structure is essential to keeping progress on track, especially when motivation falters. OKRs offer that structure. With a defined objective, measurable key results, and regular check-ins, OKRs create a system that guides people even when they’re tired or distracted.

Think of it like a roadmap—willpower might get you started, but a clear plan keeps you moving in the right direction.

4. We Don’t Make Time for What Matters

Dwight Eisenhower’s matrix for time management distinguishes between the urgent and the important. “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.” The problem is, most people spend their time putting out fires—handling urgent but low-priority tasks—while their most meaningful work gets pushed to “later.”

But here’s the hard truth: “later” never comes. If you don’t block out time for critical work, it will get buried under meetings, emails, and distractions.

Incorporating OKRs into a weekly routine forces teams to create space for meaningful work. By committing every Monday to specific tasks tied to key results, individuals bring urgency to important work. A deadline—whether it’s the end of the week or the quarter—creates accountability and ensures that the goal doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

5. We Give Up Instead of Iterating

Failure is inevitable when working toward ambitious goals. The problem isn’t failing—it’s giving up too soon. Too often, people or teams abandon their goals after encountering setbacks, assuming they’ve failed. But learning from failure and iterating is the key to real progress.

When I help companies implement OKRs, I always warn them: “You will fail the first time.” Whether they set goals that are too easy or too hard, the process won’t be perfect. Some companies aim low to guarantee success (“sandbagging”), while others overpromise and underdeliver. The most common failure is lack of follow-through—teams set OKRs at the start of the quarter and then forget about them until it’s too late.

The companies that succeed with OKRs are the ones that learn from every cycle. They treat each quarter as an experiment, refining their objectives and key results based on what worked and what didn’t. Iteration—adjusting your plan and trying again—is the secret to sustained success.

The Path to Getting Things Done: Focus, Plan, and Iterate

Achieving meaningful goals isn’t easy, but it’s not complicated either. It comes down to a few key principles:

• Pick one priority and focus on it relentlessly.
• Communicate the goal constantly so it stays top of mind.
• Follow a plan that keeps you on track, even when willpower runs low.
• Make time for the important things by treating them with the same urgency as deadlines.
• Embrace failure as part of the process and keep iterating until you succeed.

Getting things done is less about motivation and more about building systems that drive progress. Whether you’re setting personal goals or leading a team, OKRs provide a framework that helps turn ambition into action—and action into results.

By staying focused, communicating clearly, and committing to continuous improvement, you’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish.