Donald Deibler, a business owner based in Hegins, Pennsylvania, has adopted a personal policy that no goal counts unless it is written down first. The rule, which he applies to both his professional and personal life, is designed to bring structure to a schedule that rarely looks the same twice. Deibler manages All Stars Ice Cream and Cafe Bakery and supports his wife's ownership of Dead Horse Beer and Burritos, two operations that require constant attention and coordination.
Every January 1, Deibler sets yearly goals, and at the start of every month, he sets smaller ones. Both lists stay visible, not buried in a notebook he forgets by February. "I like to set yearly goals every January 1st and monthly goals at the beginning of every month," Deibler said. "I keep these in the back of my mind daily." The policy is simple on its face, but the discipline is in the follow-through. By breaking a big yearly target into monthly pieces, he ensures that no single goal feels overwhelming.
The implications of this announcement extend beyond personal productivity. For Deibler, the written-goal habit is the same operating rhythm he has used across both businesses for years, now made explicit for anyone who asks how he keeps two food and beverage operations moving in the same direction without losing sight of either one. "By taking everything one task at a time," is how Deibler describes handling moments of doubt. He measures success in plain terms: "By accomplishing your goals and exceeding past that." There is no external scorecard involved; he checks his own list against his own results.
The monthly goal is not a smaller copy of the yearly one but a specific step toward it. On January 1, the year's goal gets written down in full. On the first of each month, a smaller, specific goal gets added underneath it. Daily, both stay visible enough to shape decisions, not just sit on a page. Deibler says the habit of setting new goals is also how he keeps growing once an old goal is met. "By setting new goals," is his answer when asked what continued growth looks like. Nothing about the policy assumes an endpoint; one goal closes and another opens.
The policy is not limited to one business. Deibler credits his family for shaping how he approaches this kind of structure. "My family, including my parents and siblings," is who he names as his biggest influence. Growing up with five siblings in Donaldson, Pennsylvania, meant learning early how to divide attention across more than one priority without losing track of any of them. Outside the businesses, the same habit shows up in how he treats commitments to the community. Deibler has stayed involved with local youth sports donations and volunteer coaching, work that also runs on a calendar rather than good intentions alone.
Deibler is direct about what makes the policy work rather than fail. "Hard work and a positive attitude," he said, are the qualities he considers most important. Neither shows up on a to-do list, but both determine whether the list gets finished. He also measures the whole approach by a standard that is not borrowed from anyone else. "By my own standards," is how Deibler describes gauging his own success, whether that is a monthly goal for the bakery or a longer-term plan for the burrito business. The written-goal habit is not a marketing device; it is a practical framework that Deibler says has kept him grounded and focused across multiple ventures.
