At the end of every year, I like to take some time to reflect on the previous twelve months before setting new goals. Was I able to accomplish everything I set for myself? What did I learn? Would I have done something differently if I could’ve? What would I pursue if I knew I could not fail?

These questions help guide me on setting what I call my yearly “guiding principles” which are, in the simplest form, a clear and concise approach to goal-setting. After many years testing many approaches and frameworks, I finally found one that works best for me and that can easily be modified to fit different schedules, goals, and life stages.

Set Your Priorities

Define what’s most important to you and what you value the most. Although these items don’t have to be fully set in stone, having some clarity in priorities helps identify areas that you will want to spend more time and effort on.

Assess Your Resources and Dependencies

As your list of priorities comes together, it is also helpful to identify what tools you have at your disposal. The best types of goals are both achievable and specific and having an idea of what risks you might face or what resources you have, help define this better.

Define Success

Lastly but most importantly, define what success looks like for these goals. How do you envision the results? How can you measure progress and how can you pivot when needed? Having an idea of how long you want to set this goal for and what the end will be, will keep the goal relevant and your motivation strong.