Goals differ from intentions or ideas in several key aspects.
Every goal:
- Has a deadline
- A goal is achieved at some point in the future. By having a deadline, the goal is focused, even if the deadline is not specific: “next week”, “next year”, etc.
- A goal without a deadline is an intention.
- Is measurable
- One or more conditions that indicate when the goal has been reached, such as “built my house” (the house is ready for occupancy); “completing a course” (I passed the final / learned the material); “saved up to buy a car” (I have enough money to buy the car)
- Has an owner
- The person responsible for moving work forward to achieve the goal; may not be the same person as the one who does the work.
- Must be reviewed on a regular basis
- Conditions and people change, so it is important to review every goal to determine if it needs to be adjusted to fit reality.
- Sometimes goals may no longer be necessary so continuing to pursue them is time better spent in other ways.
- Some questions to ask about every goal:
- is it necessary/desired?
- is work on track to finish by the deadline?
- is the deadline still applicable? and
- is it still achievable?
Related articles
- Thinking About Goals Isn’t Enough – Zach Shefska(bootstrappers.io)
- The Best Goal Setting Frameworks(tomtunguz.com)
- Men Put More Efforts, Perform Better When Goals are Set, Compared to Women(medindia.net)