Ten questions to ask before setting your goals
As 2025 rolls into 2026, so to rolls a wave of renewed optimism as people reflect on their aspirations for the coming year. Ambition is abundant. Millions will be setting resolutions and lofty goals, hoping that this year will be theirs. But Before we go bounding headfirst into our goals, it’s worth taking pause.
Imagine two paths, one only a few degrees different from the other. Over a short distance the space between the two paths will be relatively small, but with each passing step the distance between the two is magnified and their final destinations vastly different. Similarly, the “initial conditions” we set for our goals have significant ramifications down the line. Below are 10 questions designed to clarify your ambitions and set you on your path to achieving them.
What is your goal?
Trivial though it may sound, defining your goal is the first step towards turning intention into reality and deserves special attention. Avoiding vague “get in shapes” and “save more money” in favor of more specific goals like “run 3 times a week” or “save £1000” holds us accountable and allows us to plan with clarity.
Why do you consider this goal worthy?
This gets to the heart of what’s driving your behaviour. A goal that aligns with your values provides a source of intrinsic motivation when obstacles inevitably arise. Conversely, if your reason includes factors external to you - societal pressures, keeping up appearances e.t.c - then it might not be the goal for you. That’s not to say there’s anything inherently bad about these goals, rather unless your pursuing them for reasons you truly believe in, achieving them may be more difficult and the pursuit less rewarding.
What milestones must you hit along the way?
Consider the progression that has to take place and begin to outline a strategy. Tackling lofty goals too directly can be intimidating, potentially leading to burnout and overwhelm. consider that most goals can’t be achieved without first completing some smaller related goal along the way. If you can currently do 3 pullups and your goal is to do 10, then first you have to be strong enough to do 4 then 5 and 6. These smaller milestones are not only more manageable psychologically but also more enjoyable as you progress towards your target, ticking off checkpoints along the way.
What repeated action/actions will you take to achieve your goal?
Perhaps the most important step of all, this concerns the execution of the goal itself. Consider which actions will make the greatest impact on your goal and whether they lend themselves to being routinised. Once routinised, the results of these actions compound and the achievement of your goal becomes a matter of time. A 1997 study by Gollwitzer and Brandstatter showed that people who set a time and place for when they were going to act on their goal were most likely to complete it.
How can you make this as effortless as possible?
Will power is a finite recourse. Anything we can do to make things easier we should. Consider how you might change your environment or routine to make the decision that supports your goal the most effortless choice.
How long do you think it will take to complete your goal?
It’s important to be generous with the timeframes we allow for our goals. We’re remarkably prone to underestimating the time we take to complete projects with the evidence being born out in Scientific studies and the world around us. So named the “planning fallacy” in a 1979 paper by Kahneman and Tversky, our tendency to expect results prematurely can lead to disappointment at our perceived lack of competency. In reality we didn’t give ourselves a chance. By considering a realistic timeframe we can keep motivation high throughout. Timelines provide structure and create a sense of urgency.
What’s stopped you from completing this goal before?
A mistake isn’t a mistake if we learn from it. But a lesson isn’t learnt until it’s put into practice. Reflecting on what’s held us back in the past allows us to move forward with our eyes wide open and address the issues that have proved challenging before they arise. Reframing “failure” as “experience” puts us in a position where we can’t lose.
What problems do you anticipate facing?
Progress is rarely a straight line and obstacles are inherent when we’re looking to change. While potentially sobering, anticipating these obstacles beforehand allows us to build strategies that manage them when they arrive.
How will you combat these challenges?
A thorough strategy that outlines exactly what you will do when a challenge arises serves to limit the anxiety experienced. When the time comes it will only be a question of executing what you’ve mentally rehearsed.
How do you anticipate feeling when the goal is completed?
Not only does imagining the emotional payoff improve your motivation to complete the goal, imagining the endpoint allows you to mentally rehearse the journey of arriving at the finish line.
Thanks for reading
If you found this useful you might like to try out the HabitAid Blueprint, an online quiz which takes your answers to these questions and reformats them into an “accountability contract” to refer to over the lifespan of your goal. To learn more check out the HabitAid homepage.