Good resources for setting goals?

August 22, 2022 10:56 AM

I'm looking for some good resources for setting goals. I feel kind of driftless in my life. I work, I help take care of my kids, and at the end of the day I have a little bit of energy to watch TV with my wife before we go to bed. I don't feel like I'm really working towards anything, and that's resulted in me feeling a void in my life. Are there any good resources you can think of to facilitate identifying what a person's goals in life could/should be?
posted by Fister Roboto to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Hey! I can help with this!

I happen to be experiencing something similar. A friend of mine, who is the director of career development at a local university, recommended the book Designing Your life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans. They're two Stanford design professors (or something like that), and the book attempts to apply design principles to planning a fulfilling life. They based the book on a course they teach at Stanford, so it's filled with all sorts of interesting (and useful) exercises, exercises that were homework for their students.

Anyhow, as a 53-years-old guy who needs some guidance, I find the book very useful. My girlfriend likes it too, as does another buddy. The material may have been created for college students, but it's equally good for folks in a midlife crisis...or anyone else who is drifting and trying to find their way.

As a preview, here's author Bill Burnett's TedX talk on some of the book's material.

Obviously, your mileage may vary, but I think this book might help you gain some clarity. Check it out.
posted by jdroth at 11:13 AM on August 22, 2022 [5 favorites]

80,000 Hours is about how to find your most impactful (for the world) career.
posted by catquas at 1:25 PM on August 22, 2022

You might also be interested in some of the techniques for 'values clarification', originally a technique in talk therapy but could apply to anyone. Part of the idea is that if you clarify your values it can help you decide which goals to pursue.
posted by catquas at 1:32 PM on August 22, 2022

You might want to consider:
1) "sharpening the saw" (i.e., I don't have time to sharpen the saw, look at all this wood I have to cut!!!) In other words, could your life be better if you learned new skills or improved your energy levels through diet, exercise or regular relaxation?
2) "opportunity cost" (i.e., what are you missing out on, life is short, give your future self some gifts)
3) I am reading "Tiny Habits" which I really like. In this book "Goals" are "Aspirations" and you get there by Behaviors. If you have any trouble getting from where you are to where you decide you want to be, the author says to NOT blame yourself but to look for small behavior changes that will add up over time.

For what it's worth.
posted by forthright at 2:46 PM on August 22, 2022 [4 favorites]

I really like this 16 min video workshop about discovering your values, by Paulette Nnorom (formerly credited as Paulette Pommells). Might help you identify what values drive you the most, which could help with goal-setting.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 4:57 PM on August 22, 2022

Holistic Decision Making has its origins in regenerative agriculture but has much broader application in establishing what kind of quality of life you (and your family) want. Identifying the gap between where you are and where you want to be is very insightful for goal setting.
posted by pipstar at 8:16 AM on August 24, 2022