Priorities First, Then Goals

To get anywhere, we need motivation. Being motivated requires goals—purposes towards which we can work. But how do we know that we have the right goals?

To help us in setting goals, it is useful to first find your priorities. Then you can evaluate your goals to make sure that (a) each of your priorities is adequately represented by one or more goals (you're not forgetting anything), and (b) each of your goals is in line with one or more priorities (you're not adding extra fluff). Here's a brief exercise in this:

* Make a list of things that are important to you. These could be simple words ("family", "travel") or more complex ideas ("providing an inheritance for my children", "making my marriage great"). Don't worry that you might forget something—this isn't cast in stone, and we'll even come back to it later.

* Make a list of goals. Go through each priority on your list and make one or more goals that will lead you to your desired outcome in that area. For example: for a "travel" priority, a possible goal might be "save three thousand dollars for a vacation to Europe."

* Write down any additional goals you have. Writing down goals for your priorities may raise additional goals you'd like to accomplish, and this is the time to add them.

* Check against your priorities list. Run through your goals list and verify that each goal is attached to a priority. If you find any goals that don't match up with at least one priority, evaluate whether it's a worthwhile goal. You might wind up adding something to your priority list, or you might strike this goal.