Shiny Object Syndrome: How to Stop Switching Goals
Shiny object syndrome: 4 forces that pull you to the next new goal, 4 fixes that keep the current one alive, and a test for a healthy pivot.
Goal Setting & Planning
Setting goals you will actually reach, from annual reviews to weekly plans.
When goals go wrong
Planners and planning tools
Goal-Setting Worksheets and Templates
A goal setting worksheet in 7 boxes, from the goal to a review date, with the research behind each box and three shorter variants for different needs.
Goal frameworks
The 12 Week Year Method: Does a Shorter "Year" Get Better Results?
The 12 week year swaps annual goals for 12-week cycles scored weekly. No trial tests it; one of its parts, tracking progress, has good evidence.
The Wheel of Life: A Balanced Approach to Goal Setting
How to draw and score a wheel of life in 5 steps, turn the lowest areas that matter into goals, and what research on life areas does and does not support.
OKRs for Your Personal Life: A Practical Guide
Personal OKRs in 5 steps, each checked against goal research. A 2024 review mapped 47 OKR studies, mostly in companies; none we found tested personal use.
Goals in teams and companies
OKRs vs. KPIs: What's the Difference?
OKRs vs KPIs: a KPI tracks the health of work that already runs, an OKR is a time-boxed push to change it. A side-by-side table and 2 worked examples.
Goals by life area
How to Set Career Goals (With Examples)
How to set career goals in 4 steps, with examples for early career, mid-career, career changers and freelancers, checked against goal research.
Long-term vision
How to Make a Vision Board That's More Than Decoration
No trial has tested vision boards, but studies of the picturing behind them suggest showing the steps as well as the prize. Build a better board in 5 steps.
How to Create a Five-Year Plan Without Pretending to Predict the Future
How to create a five-year plan in 5 steps that expect you to change: set a direction, test it against several futures and detail only the first year.
Goal-setting fundamentals
SMART Goals Explained With 20 Examples
SMART goals explained letter by letter, with 20 examples, where the 1981 acronym came from, and why goal research says aim higher than realistic.
How to Set Goals You'll Actually Achieve
How to set goals in 5 steps. In a 2017 meta-analysis of 384 randomized tests, difficult goals had larger effects than easy or moderate ones.
Annual planning
New Year's Resolutions: Why They Fail and How to Fix Them
The claim that 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by February traces to no study. What follow-ups of real resolvers found, and what helps.