"A goal without a plan is just a wish"
December 12, 2024 9:16 AM   Subscribe

I'd like to take some time over the holidays and come up with a set of goals for next year. And then create a plan for achieving these goals. Is there a template, a process I can follow?
posted by aeighty to Grab Bag (12 answers total) 41 users marked this as a favorite
 
Best answer: Clearer Thinking has a number of tools that could be helpful in doing this:
- Defining Effective Goals
- Achieving your Goals
- Identifying Values
- Keeping Track of your Goals

I do yearly personal goals myself and ended up developing a text document that combines ideas from the self-help / self-improvement literature that resonate most with me (including the Clearer Thinking links above). I think this is the same for lots of people, which is why there are so many systems out there -- everyone ends up making their own for the specific way their brain works.

I say that to give the advice: don't be afraid to use bits and pieces from different systems out there to concoct an approach that works for YOU.
posted by chiefthe at 9:44 AM on December 12, 2024 [7 favorites]


The videos are a little coach-y but I return periodically to (the older version, and now this one) How To Set Systems Instead of Goals.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:36 AM on December 12, 2024


The google search term you are looking for is SMART goals.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-based
posted by edbles at 10:43 AM on December 12, 2024


Ok so personally I find SMART goals really dry and best suited for work and performance plans. This doesn’t sound like work goals - this is your life!

I actually do this reflection at the end of every year so here is what my process is:

I list out all the things I did in the last year - all the changes that happened and where my time went and basically revisit last year’s goal/results.

Then I sit in a cozy place with a journal for a few hours and I imagine where I want to be. What does my life look and feel like. What classes am I taking. What new behaviors do I want that I couldn’t do before. What external changes do I see - did I move? Buy a place? New job? Family? Skills? Trips? Basically imagine and feel into my own life. At the end of my life, will I feel like I did what I came here to do? What would leave me sad if that stone was left unturned.

Then I list out the months from January to December and start planning. When are peoples birthdays, vacation; research when the classes want to take are held and so on. If it’s like get a new job or get promoted, list out the first 3 steps to take like “talk to boss about what I need to go to the next level” and then if they say do XYZ then I’ll see how I can fit that into the months to come.

I’m practical so I actually don’t limit myself to 1 year time frame. We’re all busy people. I actually measure my life in 4 year plans and since I like soccer I measure it in world cups. “By next World Cup I want to be in a serious relationship” and “by next World Cup I want to be married and with a kid” and so on. I find the 4 year plan is way more reasonable. Then depending on the goal it is broken down by year. Thats my general method.

I guess what I’m saying is that I find templates for goals dry and unmotivating because for me to really reach for my goals I have to have emotion around them and that emotion comes from imagining myself, imagining my life; imagining myself looking back on my life as an old woman. So don’t forget the emotion as a key part of this process.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 12:04 PM on December 12, 2024 [16 favorites]


Best answer: Check out Year Compass
posted by atlantica at 12:14 PM on December 12, 2024 [4 favorites]


Best answer: I don't know if this is the level of planning you are looking for, but I've enjoyed following Cortex podcast's Theme concept. [Here's a more in-depth discussion of them setting their actual themes] They annually - maybe even a couple times a year - look back at their previous theme and set a new one going forward.
posted by Doktor at 1:39 PM on December 12, 2024


I’ve never been successful at creating goals out of thin air. I think you have to first of all naturally want or at least need something. Freedom, security, self-expression, community, love, better health to the extent that’s within grasp (although a lot of that is luck)… identify what you want. Then figure out how to get it.
posted by cotton dress sock at 1:51 PM on December 12, 2024 [2 favorites]


(And believe that you can.)
posted by cotton dress sock at 1:52 PM on December 12, 2024


Best answer: Great post and post title. I think the key part of your ask is the word 'process' which I find useful to think of as a 'practice'.

One of the approaches that i've found helpful is to not spend much time/focus thinking about the Goal (and what it'll be like to have achieved it, or not) but instead to spend structured time working on the Steps needed to get to the Goal ; and the critical part of that is to schedule dedicated time for that work ; and, as importantly, to not "do work" (including, especially, thinking about the work) outside of the scheduled time.

One of the reasons is because humans can tend to believe that because sometimes "work"/progress involves thinking, it must be true that thinking about a thing that needs doing is always helpful in ensuring that thing gets done, and therefore it must be even more true that thinking over and over and over about the thing is not only helpful but critically necessary. When I was younger I fooled myself into thinking this "worked" but really it was because I hadn't developed or committed to better tools / practices for goal breakdown and task management and believed, due to fear and ego, that my brain was a better place to store things than a piece of paper or calendar or app. Now that I'm older and fear and ego have worn me down, I know my brain is not as good as a piece of paper or calendar, and a habit of regular review, for persisting things that are important.

There are different tools/approaches depending on the type of work, but the key thing for most goals that are worth attaining is that the steps require dedicated blocks -- no matter how short -- of time and attention. For me there are tasks/steps for which Being Put On A List is sufficient, but only as long as I've committed scheduled time, regularly, to review that list. But sometimes I find this ineffective because when I look at the list I see all the other things that need time and it can be distracting or overwhelming ; instead of working on the One Thing I'm now *thinking* about the fact that 5 haven't be done, which (a) accomplishes nothing, and (b) draws down my mental / emotional reserves so it's even harder to get any one thing done, or be present for other things that need attention.

SO, for certain tasks/steps, I actually put time on the calendar. Tuesday between 1:00 and 2:00 for 'Goal A Step 3'. I delight in doing this in my work calendar because it's "fuck off and leave me alone" time ; if my calendar is blocked, they can't take it. But if it's a non-work thing, sometimes it's Go To Starbucks time, because it gets me out of the house and keeps me from being reminded and thinking about other things that need doing beyond The Task At Hand. Most of the time it may not matter specifically what I will have needed to accomplish in that hour if the task is sufficiently granular and bounded, but even if not, I've given myself a whole dedicated hour for THAT ONE THING and during that time I'll figure out or re-discover something I progress before 2pm. Now, an important part of this practice is: at 1:55 create a new calendar entry for either finishing Goal A Step 3, or for beginning to work on Step 4.

The goal has a better chance of being taken care of if the constituent tasks are being attended to regularly ; but just thinking about the Goal, and what'll happen when it's achieved or how I'll feel etc. having achieved it, can too often bring up emotions that distract me from doing the things that will get me past the Goal. It's hard sometimes to step away from the emotional aspect because it can leave me feeling like a task robot, but it's fine to think about the Goal, as long as the Goal is not the frequent focus. Sometimes, the goal isn't a useful part of the goal. Sure, every once in awhile reflecting on it can be super helpful and motivational. But the goal won't get you to The Goal. The plan won't get you to the The Goal. But the practice of time spent engaging with the plan, creating it, breaking it down, adjusting it, questioning it, working it, re-inventing it if necessary... that's there the achievement of The Goal is found.
posted by jerome powell buys his sweatbands in bulk only at 2:18 PM on December 12, 2024 [4 favorites]


I recommend reading this article which offers a sophisticated framework for thinking about goals and strategies, informed by psychology. It's written with the assumption that your goals are fitness-related but is applicable to any context where you're thinking about behaviour change. And incidentally, it offers a critique of SMART goals, beginning: "SMART goals were designed to help managers keep their employees on task in a corporate setting, which is not a strong foundation for behavior change applications."
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 9:47 AM on December 13, 2024 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I have responded to previous Asks of "Who am I?" and "10 Year Goal Help" with this exercise and it might also be helpful for you.... Sometimes if you have a good idea of the things that you dream about or wish for, you'll have a better idea of how to plan your life or figure out what goals you want to achieve.

For example, if you discover you really have a burning desire to own a cabin in the mountains you can start to plan for that in concrete terms. You can figure 1. exactly where you want it to be; 2. how much it will cost; 3. how much money you need to make now so you can afford a cabin later; 4. how long you're willing to work to save enough to buy your cabin in the woods ... etc, etc. You might also discover you don't actually want to OWN a cabin on a mountain top, but a vacation to a cabin on a mountain top would be a very good second best.....


Here's an exercise you can try, it's called the Master Dream List
On a sheet of paper make 4 columns.
Write in the columns these headers:

Things I want TO HAVE | Things I want TO DO | Things I'd like TO BE | Places I want TO GO

Try to write at least 3 - 5 things in each column but don't limit yourself. Go for it. Write as many things as you can come up with. Do not worry that the things you write are actually achievable. For example, you could write under THINGS I WANT TO HAVE -- "an Academy Award" - even though you are not a performer of any kind and will never appear in a Hollywood Movie.

After you have filled the columns with wishes/dreams reflect on what they mean to you. Is a desire to win an Academy Award a wish for recognition? Admiration? Feeling "special"? Then ask yourself -- How else could I achieve that feeling?

Examine the feeling behind the things you put in each column and it might offer you clues to what you actually need in your life right now. The things you wrote down are likely to be good indicators of what you think is necessary for a meaningful life. Once you know what is meaningful and important you can come up with goals to achieve them.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck with your efforts.
posted by pjsky at 10:13 AM on December 15, 2024 [2 favorites]


Mod note: [This is such a useful collection of ideas! We've added it to the sidebar and Best Of blog for all who need it.]
posted by taz (staff) at 1:07 AM on December 16, 2024


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