Goal Setting
A good goal is specific, fits your values and translates into a clear next step. Here you will find methods like SMART and WOOP, examples for work, school and life, and what research says about motivation.
New here? Start with the core guide on goal setting.
All articles: Goal Setting
Goal SettingWord of the Year: How to Choose Yours for 2027
A word of the year is not a dictionary pick. Five steps from review to one word for 2027, a word test, 40 ideas, and a goal chain down to Tuesday morning.
17 min read
Goal SettingGoals for 2027: How to Set Them and Plan the Year
Goals for 2027 are not resolutions with a new date. Get 10 examples, the 2027 calendar by quarter, and a one-hour plan that starts on January 4.
16 min read
Goal SettingList of Goals: 100 Goal Ideas You Can Measure
A list of goals is not a bucket list: 100 measurable goal ideas in ten areas of life, 10 examples, five steps, a template, and how to pick three.
17 min read
Goal SettingGoal Setting Theory: What Locke and Latham Found
Locke and Latham's goal setting theory explained: five principles, limits and criticism, SMART and OKR compared, five steps, and one worked example.
15 min read
Goal SettingSMART Goals for Work: Examples by Role and Industry
SMART goals for work are not review-form slogans. Over 30 examples by role, industry and career stage, each with its metric, plus a template.
17 min read
Goal SettingSMART Goals: Meaning, Examples and How to Write Them
SMART goals turn a wish into a result a stranger could check: the five criteria explained, seven steps, five examples, and one goal from year to day.
15 min read
Goal SettingNew Year Resolution Ideas: 60 Measurable Goals for 2027
New year resolution ideas are not slogans: 60 of the best resolutions for 2027 in ten areas of life, each a measurable goal, plus five steps to pick three.
16 min read
Goal SettingHow to Make Decisions: Five Methods That Use Your Goals
Making decisions is not a gut call. A decision matrix, 10-10-10, a pre-mortem and the Bezos two-way door rule, worked through with your goals as criteria.
18 min read
Goal SettingGoal Oriented: What It Means and How to Build It
Being goal oriented is not a personality type. The meaning, three goal orientations, synonyms, resume lines and five steps to build the habit.
16 min read
Goal SettingIntrinsic Motivation: What Drives You From the Inside
Intrinsic motivation is not a personality trait. Meaning, 12 examples, the three needs behind it and five steps to build it, with a worked example.
17 min read
Goal SettingFinancial Goals: How to Turn Wishes Into a Plan
Financial goals are not wishes with a dollar sign. Short and long term examples, SMART savings goals and a five step plan, worked through one year.
17 min read
Goal SettingWOOP Method: Four Steps From Wish to If-Then Plan
The WOOP method is not positive thinking. What WOOP stands for, the research, if-then plans, eight goal examples and a five-minute guide.
18 min read
Goal SettingMedium-Term Goals: 40 Examples for Work and Life
Medium-term goals are not small life goals. How long mid-term is, 40 examples for work, career, money, health, five steps, and six-month checkpoints.
17 min read
Goal SettingAchieving Goals: How to Measure Progress and Keep Going
Achieving goals is not a burst of willpower in December. Measure goal attainment from a baseline, check it against time, and get through the middle.
18 min read
Goal SettingShort-Term and Long-Term Goals: How One Carries the Other
Short-term and long-term goals are not two lists. How the time horizons differ, 12 paired examples, five steps, and a goal chain down to one day.
18 min read
Goal SettingSMART Goals for Students: Examples for School and College
SMART goals for students are not resolutions. Academic examples for finals, a thesis, nursing and high school, with a template and five steps.
18 min read
Goal SettingGoal Setting Frameworks: Which One Fits Your Goal
Goal setting frameworks compared: SMART, HARD, WOOP, OKR, FAST, PACT, CLEAR, BHAG and the 12 Week Year, with a decision table and a worked example.
18 min read
Goal SettingVisualize Goals: See the Path, Not Just the Finish
Learning to visualize goals is not wishful thinking. Picture the process, test obstacles with WOOP and make progress visible, with a worked example.
18 min read
Goal SettingWriting Down Goals: What It Does and How to Do It
Writing down goals is not magic. What the research shows, why the Harvard study is a myth, five steps, a template, and a worked example.
16 min read
Goal SettingPersonal Goals: 50 Examples You Can Actually Measure
Personal goals are not a wish list. 50 examples in eight areas, a three-part formula, five steps, a one-card template, and a goal chain to Tuesday.
16 min read
Goal SettingGoals and Motivation: The Four Kinds That Last
Goals and motivation in the right order: motivation follows progress, not the other way. Four kinds, five P's, ten example goals, a plan from year to day.
16 min read
Goal SettingHow to Write SMART Goals, With Before and After
How to write SMART goals sentence by sentence: five editing passes, a four-part measurement line, six before and after rewrites and three tests.
17 min read
Goal SettingGoal Setting: How to Set Goals You Actually Reach
Goal setting means deciding what will be true by when, and writing it down. Five steps, 10 example goals, six strategies compared, and a one-page template.
17 min read
Goal SettingNew Year's Resolutions for 2027 That Last Past March
New Year's resolutions fail by February because they are wishes. Turn three into a goal chain from year to day, with a 2027 example, six steps, FAQ.
15 min read