Aaron Burden, Unsplash
A goal written in one line often sounds clear and turns out vague a week later. Writing about it for a few minutes helps you see what you actually want, why, and what might get in the way. Journal prompts give that writing a starting point.
The prompts below follow the order in which goals usually take shape: first a look back, then a choice, then the details. You don't need to answer all of them at once. One group per evening is enough.
Looking Back
Good goals start with an honest look at the last period, whether it is a year, a season, or a project. These prompts help you see what worked before you decide what to change.
1. What am I most glad I did in the last twelve months?
2. What took more of my time than it deserved?
3. Which goal from last year did I drop, and why?
4. When did I feel most like myself at work?
5. What did I learn about how I work best?
6. What would I tell myself a year ago?
Write the answers without editing them. The first version is usually the most honest one, and you can always come back to refine it.
Choosing What Matters
Most people have more possible goals than time. These prompts help you choose a few and let go of the rest without guilt.
7. If I could change only one thing this year, what would it be?
8. Which goal would I pursue even if nobody else noticed?
9. Which of my goals are really someone else's expectations?
10. What do I want more of, and what do I want less of?
11. Which goal would make several others easier?
12. What am I ready to say no to, to make room for this?
When you finish this group, you should have a short list: one to three goals for the year. If the list is longer, the last two prompts are worth answering again.
Making Goals Concrete
A goal becomes workable when you know what it looks like when it is done. These prompts turn a direction into something you can check.
13. How will I know that this goal is reached?
14. What will be different in my week when it is?
15. What is the first step I can take in the next seven days?
16. What has to be true by the end of this quarter?
17. Who could help, and what would I ask them?
18. How much time a week can I honestly give to this?
The answer to the last prompt often changes the goal itself. That is useful: a goal that fits into your real week is more likely to move than one that fits only into an ideal one.
Planning for Obstacles
Goals rarely fail at the start. They fail in the third week, when the first excitement is gone and ordinary life returns. These prompts help you prepare for that moment.
19. What usually stops me from finishing things like this?
20. What will I do when I miss a week?
21. Which habit or situation makes this goal harder?
22. What would make this goal easier to start each day?
23. Who or what will remind me of this goal when I forget?
24. What is a smaller version of this goal I can keep if things get hard?
Write the answers somewhere you will see them again. They are most useful on the day you need them, not on the day you write them.
Checking In
Setting a goal is one evening; keeping it is many weeks. These prompts work as a short weekly or monthly check-in.
25. What moved this week, even a little?
26. What got in the way?
27. Is this goal still the right one?
28. What is the next step?
29. What do I want to remember from this week?
30. What would make next week easier?
A check-in takes five to ten minutes. Doing it regularly matters more than writing long answers.
