On Setting Goals
On Setting Goals
When you set your goals, set them by asking: What do I want to achieve that will move my life forward significantly?
You can use the SMART framework (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound), or any other framework to test the strength of your goals, but how did you decide on your goals in the first place?
A rule of thumb and general advice dictates that you break your life up into slices of a pie: health, money, family, rest, sport, studies, growth — whatever categories you decide to use, and then set several top priorities per slice which you will then follow throughout the year.
Let us assume you sliced your life into five pieces to obtain balance (a prescription by general wisdom) — and then set three top priorities per slice — that is, fifteen goals that you are now pursuing.
Reflecting on the last year, ask yourself — was it possible to achieve anything meaningful in any area of life, if you focussed on achieving fifteen separate goals? I cannot speak for others, but I can tell you that for me, that is an impossibility.
Even if you set one goal per slice, could you achieve meaningful results by pursuing five top priorities?
What do I mean by meaningful results? I mean, by using synonyms: “big”, “consequential”, “earth-shattering”, “major”, “momentous”, and “significant” results — and setting goals that will cause these results.
From this definition, it should be clear that having fifteen or even five top goals will not lead to meaningful results as defined above. Not all goals have to be meaningful, though.
Some goals can exist to make sure you cover an important area in your life, not neglecting it — nothing wrong with that. But if you aim to achieve consequential, momentous results, you will do well to focus on one goal alone.
This then highlights the fallacy of balance. An elite tennis player is not an elite academic, composer, writer, golfer, or philosopher. There are exceptions in life, but they are few and far between.
An elite tennis player is elite because they have one main goal — to be an elite tennis player. Stephen King is Stephen King because his focus is on being the best writer he can be.
Can you achieve balance when you aim high? I do not believe so. If my goal is to do my MBA this year, it means I have to have a talk with my family and explain that they will not see me much during the year; I will have to tone down my gym sessions and will have to cut out or reduce my running and cycling — my priority for the year is studying.
This does not mean I do not have other areas of my life I will look after. I will keep going to the gym and could do shorter runs to stay healthy, but I am not aiming for a three-hour marathon time.
This then begs the question — are all your priorities goals? My main goal will be (an example) my MBA, and this is where my focus will lie. This is, in fact, my only goal. The rest of the slices of my life and their set priorities will have to take a back seat, but I will not neglect them.
I will still aim to be a good husband and father, I will still exercise, I will still read a lot to build my knowledge base, I will still see my family. However, I do not think going to the gym three times a week is really a goal as we have now defined — it is an area of life that needs to be looked after — a remaining priority, but not the main protagonist.
When you set a goal, set it as something that moves you forward in a big way, something consequential.
This view of setting goals does make it easier for me, as it takes off the pressure of wanting to somehow achieve five top priorities.
I know it is impossible to achieve five earth-shattering goals in a year. But I also know I can still set my five goals to give me direction in all areas of life — with one goal taking precedence above the rest.
Forgetting about achieving balance is a must if you want to achieve a meaningful goal. When achieving balance becomes part of the overall goal structure, it becomes a goal in itself, an added pressure to your life —and an unobtainable one at that. So, my advice would be to absolve yourself from the goal of balance.
You either excel in one area with the rest lagging, or you become mediocre in many areas.
In business, this is no different. You cannot set up an airline to be both a low-cost airline and an exclusive airline; you cannot be an exclusive clothing brand and a low-cost brand at the same time. You have to choose. There are always choices to be made.
When you set your goals, set them by asking: What do I want to achieve that will move my life forward significantly? Make that your criteria for selecting your one goal — being meaningful. Being meaningful is also personal.
Others might not understand why you want to dedicate a year to finishing a book or competing in a marathon, but this is your life, remember. So work according to what you feel is best for you.
Absolve yourself from the goal of balance when you set your other goals for the year (for simplicity, I still call these sub-goals, goals) — know that some are there to guide key areas of your life — but they will be subordinate to your main goal for the year.
Balance seems to be a myth.