Worksheet/homework for defining and making progress toward life goals
May 19, 2020 1:53 PM Subscribe
I'm feeling deep ennui in quarantine and approaching that age where everyone is having kids, but that's not my plan. I want to do something else, but I'm feeling aimless and blah. I tried a coaching session but just talking doesn't work for me: I want structure. I want homework. Please point me to something that has helped you set and structure steps towards (not purely financial!) personal goals, whether it's a downloadable PDF, interactive form, or a workbook I can to purchase. Thank you.
Best answer: Barbara Sher's 'Wishcraft' in PDF?
posted by quercus23 at 2:16 PM on May 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by quercus23 at 2:16 PM on May 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Designing Your Life helped me at a rough point, it's also an interesting read, it has worksheets as well. Also +1 to Wishcraft.
posted by epanalepsis at 2:40 PM on May 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by epanalepsis at 2:40 PM on May 19, 2020 [1 favorite]
Unfortunately it's difficult if not impossible at the moment, but going off to explore a city on the other side of the planet has a 100% success rate in clearing my mind and giving me a sense of what I want to focus on in my life. Anti-homework if you will.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:41 PM on May 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:41 PM on May 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
I like YearCompass. It’s free to download; you don’t need to sign up or register or give any personal info. The questions are good, and it encourages you to reflect on your past and plan for your future. Most people who use it do it in December or January, but there’s no reason you couldn’t do it now. There’s a new booklet every year, but the content is basically the same. (If you want you can sign up for a once yearly notification when the new one is available.)
“YearCompass is a booklet that helps close your year and plan the next one. In the routine of everyday life it's easy to lose sight of your true goals and aspirations. And even though we all have dreams, only a few of us plan for them. Effectively, at least. YearCompass works simply. Using questions and exercises rooted in psychology it takes you through the past year, then helps you turn your dreams into achievable goals.”
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 4:29 PM on May 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
“YearCompass is a booklet that helps close your year and plan the next one. In the routine of everyday life it's easy to lose sight of your true goals and aspirations. And even though we all have dreams, only a few of us plan for them. Effectively, at least. YearCompass works simply. Using questions and exercises rooted in psychology it takes you through the past year, then helps you turn your dreams into achievable goals.”
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 4:29 PM on May 19, 2020 [2 favorites]
Finding your true passion:
Read the book Finding Your Element by Ken Robinson
For tracking goals:
Downloadable PDF here!
https://davidseah.com/node/the-task-progress-tracker/
Executing on those goals in a systematic and disciplined way:
Cal Newport's Deep Work is life changing. The Four Disciplines of Execution is also a good read.
posted by jacobean at 4:22 AM on May 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
Read the book Finding Your Element by Ken Robinson
For tracking goals:
Downloadable PDF here!
https://davidseah.com/node/the-task-progress-tracker/
Executing on those goals in a systematic and disciplined way:
Cal Newport's Deep Work is life changing. The Four Disciplines of Execution is also a good read.
posted by jacobean at 4:22 AM on May 20, 2020 [1 favorite]
Passion Planners have a short goal-setting exercise at the start and then structured planning areas and weekly challenges and monthly reflection writing prompts. You can download printable templates to try it out - IMO the to-do list area is stupid so I use it for more general notes. I've done Wishcraft and Designing Your Life and discovered that I do better with something that integrates the planning / goal-setting into my life more.
I also use YearCompass (annual or when there's a big change in my like) and the David Seah Emergent Task Planner (when my productivity is crap). I also benefited from Marie Kondo's Joy of Tidying Up and previously got a lot of mileage out of David Allen's Getting Things Done - both include visioning as part of organizing your life. I see these issues as interrelated and best addressed together; your lived experience will cause you to adjust your goals as well as vice versa.
posted by momus_window at 10:15 AM on May 20, 2020
I also use YearCompass (annual or when there's a big change in my like) and the David Seah Emergent Task Planner (when my productivity is crap). I also benefited from Marie Kondo's Joy of Tidying Up and previously got a lot of mileage out of David Allen's Getting Things Done - both include visioning as part of organizing your life. I see these issues as interrelated and best addressed together; your lived experience will cause you to adjust your goals as well as vice versa.
posted by momus_window at 10:15 AM on May 20, 2020
I started taking online classes to get a license in real estate. Whether or not I actually use it, it’s a great use of my days. It’s probably going to take me about 2 months, start to finish. I’m learning something new and it’ll be wildly helpful if I ever have enough money to buy property, if nothing else. I also started working out in the evenings, so my day is always divided between studying and exercising. It’s done wonders compared to early quarantine me, who was unemployed and lost with nothing to do and was probably drinking too much.
posted by smeater44 at 1:47 AM on May 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by smeater44 at 1:47 AM on May 23, 2020 [1 favorite]
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posted by Thella at 2:13 PM on May 19, 2020