You Are a Compass: Set Goals and Chart Your Course

The things people want most are rarely quantifiable; and yet, I think the fastest way to get them is to make a clear plan. 

Every December I spend a few days reflecting on the year behind me and planning the year ahead. I think of myself as a compass, and my plan as a map. I chart my course and take myself where I want to go. 

Over time I’ve honed this process to work for me. It never goes perfectly, but I always end up somewhere worthwhile. 

1. Start With A Vision

Each year I take time to get quiet, let my mind open, and consider what’s really important to me. Not the little things, but my biggest vision for my one wild and precious life. This vision is specific to me, my values, and everything I know about myself and the world.

I let my mind wander and see what happens. Then I distill whatever arises into a few clear sentences and write them down. For me, a useful vision is broad enough that it could take me anywhere, but specific enough that I trust it to take me somewhere good. 

For the last few years, my vision has stayed the same: To live an authentic life. To love myself and the world in equal balance. To connect with fascinating, kind, and passionate people. This is followed with more specifics about the type of life I want to live–but these three sentences form the core.

2. Choose One Central Goal

This is the hardest part–and the magic of the system. I choose ONE important thing and then I actually do that thing. 

I ask myself the questions: “If I applied my vision to my life this year, what would be my most important goal? What’s the one thing I could do that would set me on a wonderful path? What’s the one thing I’m most excited about?”

It takes time to think about this and really get it right. The right answer is the one that I know to be true and choose to commit to. It can be big or small, narrow or broad. For me, a great goal is one that’s achievable, but only just barely. I want it to be something that requires the full force of my energy and creativity.  If I choose a goal like that, I know I’m going to have an interesting year. 

3. Identify Areas of Alignment

Just because I have one central goal doesn’t mean I get to abandon the rest of my life. I still have to earn an income, spend time with loved ones, eat food, and move my body. If I don’t do these other things, my life will collapse on itself and my goal won’t even matter anymore. Which would be bad. 

So this is what I do: I make a list of the big elements in my life that are crucial to me. These include things like community, home, work, movement, etc. I put these down alongside my one big goal. This becomes my list of areas to focus on throughout the year. 

The reason I do this is to build inner clarity. I understand that everything on this list is important and worth my time. Every item has its own independent value and also contributes to me reaching my one central goal for the year. This way of thinking puts my entire life into alignment. I’m doing lots of different things, but they’re all taking me in one direction. That one direction leads to my biggest vision for my whole life. 

4. Make A SMART Plan

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. It sounds boring but honestly it’s great. A SMART plan is what turns chaos into structure and dreams into reality. I like to imagine myself on a stormy mountain top, cackling as I wave my arms in the air, directing lightning. 

Once I’ve calmed down enough to type again, here’s what I do. I take my list (one central goal plus all my areas of focus), and then I create a goal for each area of focus. Now I have my full list of goals for the year. 

Then I break down each goal into all the things I need to do to achieve it. This usually involves lots of categories and subcategories. These categories start broad and become increasingly narrow. I do this until the last things on each list are SMART goals that can be accomplished and checked off the list. All my SMART goals get little checkboxes to fill out as the year progresses. 

And that’s it–that’s my master plan for the year. It’s a roadmap of my most important goals and everything I need to do to achieve them. 

I type everything into Google Docs. If I’m living in a house I print out the plan and tape it to my wall. If I’m on the road I download it to my phone. 

5. Create Accountability

No matter how great my plan is, it’s easier to get off track than to stay on it. This is why I create feedback loops for accountability. My feedback loops happen annually, monthly, weekly, and daily. 

Each month I look at my master plan, create a new file, and copy down everything I think I can do that month. Each week I look at my monthly list and copy down everything I think I can do that week. And each day I look at my weekly list and copy down my goals for the day. 

This means I’m constantly dividing my master plan into manageable parts. Every time I complete something, I get to check it off my list. 

By the end of the year I have one master plan, 12 monthly plans, 52 weekly plans, and 365 daily plans. 

6. Adapt and be Kind to Yourself

Life is unpredictable and adaptation is essential. When my life changes in a significant way, I rework my goals to reflect my needs within my new reality. This usually happens multiple times a year. If I feel stuck, I refer back to my original vision. Every goal and adaptation needs to be in service of this vision. 

This method of goal setting has nothing to do with brute discipline or rigidity. It’s all about tapping into my inner knowing, dreaming, and letting my own enthusiasm carry me forward. It’s about working with the flow of my energy instead of against it. This flow is then organized by clear structures, timelines, focus, and hard work. 

This process requires me to trust myself and be kind to me. I’m not as productive as someone who drives themselves forward at all costs–but I’m happy, I believe in myself,  and my life is always interesting.