Snippets about: Goal Setting
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Committed And Aspirational Goals Are Both Essential
In any given quarter, YouTube (and Google more broadly) aims for a 60/40 split between committed and aspirational OKRs:
- Committed OKRs: Challenging goals you fully expect to achieve, barring unforeseen circumstances. You should hit these 90-100% of the time. Failing to do so requires explanation.
- Aspirational OKRs: Ambitious "stretch" goals that push beyond your current capabilities or knowledge of how to achieve them. The target is ~70% achievement. Lower is fine as long as you learn something useful.
The balance of the two keeps people motivated. They get dopamine hits from regularly achieving hard things, while still feeling challenged to grow. If your committed goals are consistently harder than your aspirational ones, your aspirations aren't aspirational enough!
Section: 2, Chapter: 14
Book: Measure What Matters
Author: John Doerr
Principles As Fundamental Truths
"Principles are fundamental truths that serve as the foundations for behavior that gets you what you want out of life. They can be applied again and again in similar situations to help you achieve your goals."
Section: 2, Chapter: 1
Book: Principles
Author: Ray Dalio
Goals Are The Product Of Our Mimetic Systems
"Goals are the product of our mimetic systems, not our sovereign choices. From the standpoint of desire, our goals are the product of our systems. We can't want something that is outside the system of desire we occupy.
The obsession with goal setting is misguided, even counterproductive. Setting goals isn't bad. But when the focus is on how to set goals rather than how to choose them in the first place, goals can easily turn into instruments of self-flagellation.
Most people aren't fully responsible for choosing their own goals. People pursue the goals that are on offer to them in their system of desire. Goals are often chosen for us, by models. And that means the goalposts are always moving."
Section: 1, Chapter: 5
Book: Wanting
Author: Luke Burgis
Why "Average" Goals And Actions Are Dangerous
Average is dangerous because it's considered acceptable by society. But it will fail you.
Aiming for average means settling for less than your full potential. It puts you at the mercy of circumstances.
You must set goals far above average and refuse to accept anything less from yourself. Look at "average" people and resolve never to be like them. Commit to excellence instead.
Section: 1, Chapter: 8
Book: The 10X Rule
Author: Grant Cardone
The Emerging "Goal Science"
In the 40+ years since Andy Grove first developed OKRs at Intel, an entire field of "goal science" has emerged. Some of their key findings from research reinforce the core tenets of OKRs:
- Specific, challenging goals drive higher performance than vague exhortations to "do your best"
- Connecting goals to a larger purpose stimulates intrinsic motivation and persistence
- Involving people in setting their own goals leads to greater engagement and achievement
- Personalizing goals based on someone's past achievement, personality profile, and current circumstances
- Gamifying goals to make them more engaging and enjoyable to pursue
The underlying insight is that goals, like any powerful technology, are evolving rapidly. What seemed advanced a decade ago may soon be table stakes. As Doerr writes, "My ultimate 'stretch OKR' is to empower people everywhere to achieve the seemingly impossible together, to create new realities, and in doing so make the world a little bit better."
Section: 3, Chapter: 21
Book: Measure What Matters
Author: John Doerr
Define NICE Goals To Make Progress Feel Good
Many popular goal-setting frameworks focus on crafting Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART) goals. However, research suggests overly narrow, outcome-oriented goals can undermine motivation. The book proposes an alternative:
- Near-term - Focus on short timeframes to avoid being overwhelmed
- Input-based - Emphasize the process and effort over end results
- Controllable - Aim for targets within your influence
- Energizing - Structure goals around what makes the journey enticing
NICE goals define a clear next step while keeping the emphasis on making progress rewarding.
Section: 2, Chapter: 4
Book: Feel Good Productivity
Author: Ali Abdaal
Use Commander's Intent To Give Tasks A Clear Purpose
Chapter 4 tackles procrastination from uncertainty by seeking clarity on tasks. One tool is "Commander's Intent," a military concept of conveying the core purpose of a mission:
- The Purpose - The "why" behind the task
- The End State - The ultimate goal or vision
- Key Tasks - General steps to achieve the objective
By defining the intent behind a task, you provide flexible direction without micromanaging details. This aligns teams around a meaningful goal while empowering adaptation.
Personally apply Commander's Intent by clarifying the core purpose before starting any project. Let that guide your planning and execution.
Section: 2, Chapter: 4
Book: Feel Good Productivity
Author: Ali Abdaal
Don't Be Afraid To Overcommit And Go "All In"
When Grant Cardone launched his first sales training company, he committed to massive cold calling and in-person meetings. He didn't know how it would work, but he went "all in" anyway:
- Made 40-50 cold calls per day and mailed info packets to hundreds of prospects
- Flew to meet clients in person whenever possible, even without confirmed meetings
- Rented conference rooms to host seminars even before having attendees lined up
- Continued taking huge actions despite fears and doubts until the business took off Had he not overcommitted, he would have failed. 10X success requires being "all in."
Section: 1, Chapter: 13
Book: The 10X Rule
Author: Grant Cardone
Prioritize Goals To Cultivate Passion And Grit
To cultivate grit, it's not enough to have multiple mid-level goals. You need to have a clear hierarchy of goals, with a top-level passion that connects your efforts. Ask yourself: To what extent do my goals serve a common purpose?
Use investor Warren Buffett's "2 List Strategy" to prioritize your goals. Write down your top 25 goals, circle the 5 most important to you, and focus on those while avoiding the others. Gritty people are highly selective about where they direct their efforts.
Remember that your low-level and mid-level goals can change as you progress. It's your top-level, ultimate goal that should remain consistent over time. Be willing to quit goals that no longer serve your core interests and values. Passion is about dedication to an abiding, top-level goal - not blind allegiance to any one path.
Section: 1, Chapter: 4
Book: Grit
Author: Angela Duckworth
Put Your Desires To The Test Before Chasing Them
When faced with competing desires, don't just pick one. Rigorously imagine pursuing each one:
- Sit with each desire. Vividly picture what your days would look like if you committed to it. Notice your emotions and gut reactions.
- Compare how pursuing each desire would feel. Which fills you with more energy, aliveness, peace? Which provokes anxiety or a sense of striving?
- Now imagine being on your deathbed having pursued each path. Which would you regret? Which would you feel satisfied having chosen?
- Finally, ask where each desire is coming from. Is it mostly mimetic, an attempt to keep up with others? Or does it come from a deeper place within you?
The goal is to detach from mimetic pressures and reconnect with your thick desires.
Section: 1, Chapter: 5
Book: Wanting
Author: Luke Burgis
Work Backward From Your Hoped-For
One powerful way to counter present bias is to help your brain imagine the future more vividly. A study found that people who used virtual reality to "meet" a digital version of themselves at retirement age subsequently saved more than twice as much as a control group. We can replicate the effect by:
- Writing a letter from your future self to your present self. What would 40-year-old you want 25-year-old you to know?
- Making a vision board of images representing hopes and goals for the next decade. Look at it daily.
- Talking to older relatives/mentors about what they remember from their twenties and thirties. What mattered most? The more you flesh out your future self, the more motivated you'll be to set them up for happiness.
Section: 3, Chapter: 16
Book: The Defining Decade
Author: Meg Jay
You Shouldn't Score 100% on Stretch Goals
When YouTube first deployed OKRs in 2012, they set their product & engineering teams a goal of going from 3 to 5 hours of watch time per monthly active user (MAU). They thought this was the maximum achievable through optimizing the existing experience. But halfway through the year, they were pacing to 6 hours per MAU. The goal was too easy.
Susan Wojcicki, SVP at the time, reflects: "Even in a well-intentioned stretch goal, it can be hard to find the right degree of difficulty. Make it too hard, and people will give up or feel fearful. Too easy, and you'll get tactical progress but not real breakthroughs. I think the 70% rule is about right: if you're consistently scoring 100%, you aren't aiming high enough. But much lower than 70%, and you risk creating a culture of burnout and failure. Of course, you have to consider the context - newer teams that are still developing their OKR muscle may need more achievable goals to build confidence."
Section: 2, Chapter: 14
Book: Measure What Matters
Author: John Doerr
Set 10X Goals - Aim High And Don't Worry About Being Realistic
"The goal has to be more valuable than the risk—or you have determined the wrong target... Don't reduce your goals as you write them. Ask yourself, 'What actions can I take today to move me toward these goals?' Then take whatever actions you come up with—regardless of what they are or how you feel. Limiting the amount of success you desire is a violation of the 10X Rule in and of itself."
Section: 1, Chapter: 9
Book: The 10X Rule
Author: Grant Cardone
