Frequently Asked Questions About Goal Setting
Even with the best system, questions and challenges inevitably arise. Here are answers to some of the most common hurdles you might face on your goal-setting journey.
What if I have too many goals? I want to improve my career, health, and relationships all at once.
This is a very common problem, often leading to feeling overwhelmed and making progress on nothing. The solution is ruthless prioritization. While you can maintain good habits in several areas, you can likely only pursue 1-2 major, transformative goals per quarter. Use your long-term vision to decide what is most important right now. Which goal, if achieved, would make the biggest positive impact on your life or make other goals easier? Choose that one as your primary quarterly theme. The others aren’t gone forever; they are simply on a “next up” list. Focus is a superpower. Trying to do everything at once is a recipe for dilution and failure.
How do I handle conflicting priorities, like a demanding career goal and a goal to be more present with my family?
First, acknowledge that the tension is real. Don’t pretend you can give 100% to both all the time. The key is to shift from a mindset of “balance” to one of “integration” and “boundaries.” Look for ways your goals can support each other. Perhaps a career goal to become more efficient or delegate more would free up mental space to be more present at home. Second, establish firm boundaries. This could mean a “no work email after 6 PM” rule or time blocking “Family Dinner” as a non-negotiable appointment. The SMART framework can help here, too. A goal to “be more present” becomes “I will have 3 screen-free hours with my family every weeknight.” This makes the goal concrete and actionable, rather than a source of guilt.
I set a great goal and was excited, but now I have zero motivation. What should I do?
Motivation is a fickle emotion; discipline is a reliable system. Do not wait to feel motivated. Motivation often follows action, not the other way around. The solution is to make the first step so ridiculously small that you can’t say no. Your goal is to write a book? Today’s goal is to open the document and write one sentence. Your goal is to run a 5k? Today’s goal is to put on your running shoes and walk to the end of the block. By taking a tiny action, you build momentum. Also, revisit your “why.” Reread the long-term vision you wrote down. Reminding yourself of the deep, relevant reason you set this goal in the first place can often provide the spark needed to take that first small step.
My goal is creative or abstract, like “be more confident” or “become a better painter.” How can I make that measurable?
This is a fantastic question that gets to the heart of input vs. output goals. You can’t directly measure an internal feeling like “confidence” or a subjective skill like “being a better painter.” So, you measure the behaviors (leading indicators) that you believe will lead to that outcome. For “be more confident,” a measurable input goal could be: “I will speak up with one idea in a team meeting each week,” or “I will initiate one conversation with a stranger at a social event.” For “become a better painter,” your measurable input goals could be: “I will spend 5 hours painting each week,” or “I will complete one online tutorial every two weeks and share the result.” You measure the practice, not the perfection. The internal feeling of confidence or the external quality of your art will be the lagging result of that consistent, measurable practice.
