Goal-setting questionnaire

Think about this as a sorting exercise, not a brainstorming one. You’re not trying to list everything that feels important; you’re trying to identify the few things that consistently shape your decisions, trade-offs, and regrets. Imagine looking back over your choices and asking what kept winning your time and energy. Those themes are usually closer to what truly matters than what you think should matter.

The second part is where this question does its real work. Of the five things you name, one is almost always being prioritised above the rest, whether consciously or not. That might be stability, growth, approval, freedom, or something else entirely. A strong answer makes this hierarchy explicit. For example, you might value health, relationships, and meaningful work, but realise you’re currently optimising almost entirely for career progress. Seeing that gap clearly helps explain why certain goals feel heavy or why others keep getting sidelined.

It helps to approach this question by temporarily suspending the assumption that all your goals are equally yours. Instead of defending them, examine where they came from. Look at each goal and ask what originally triggered it. Was it curiosity, dissatisfaction, excitement, or a genuine sense of pull? Or did it emerge from comparison, expectations, fear of falling behind, or wanting approval?

A useful way to answer is to notice how different goals feel in your body and attention. Goals that come from you often feel quieter but steadier; they make sense even when no one else knows about them. Goals shaped by societal influence often feel urgent, impressive, or anxiety-driven; they tend to lose their appeal when you imagine pursuing them in private. For example, wanting a certain job title because it signals success is different from wanting work that energises you. The value here is not to eliminate all socially influenced goals, but to clearly see which ones you are choosing consciously and which ones you’ve inherited without questioning.

Imagine waking up tomorrow financially secure, with enough money to never work another day in your life. You’ve already done the luxury vacations, bought the dream house, and lived out the extravagant experiences. Now, after all the excitement, what would you do to make your life meaningful and worthwhile?

Would you spend more time with loved ones, focus on hobbies, or dive into personal growth? Maybe you’d read more, exercise daily, or volunteer for a cause that matters to you. Consider the things that truly bring value to your life - things that don’t require millions to achieve. Many people find fulfilment in activities they could have done all along, without waiting for wealth.

Ask yourself: Are you working through a career that drains you, just hoping to escape into a peaceful retirement someday? Life is short, and your ideal life might be easier to create than you think. Instead of deferring happiness for 20 or 40 years, what would happen if you started designing the life you want today?

The best way to approach this is to strip emotion, hope, and vague optimism out of the answer. You are not being asked what you want to feel; you are being asked what would be measurably different. Think in terms of concrete changes that an external observer could point to without needing your internal narrative to make sense of it. If nothing observable changes, then next year is not better; it is just another loop with a nicer story attached.

Look for clear signals such as fewer recurring problems, more leverage from the same effort, stronger habits that run without willpower, better boundaries, or progress in an area that previously stalled. A strong answer usually names two or three specific outcomes, not ten wishes. For example, earning the same money in fewer hours, eliminating a persistent source of stress, or shipping something real instead of planning it. If you struggle to answer, that is the point. It usually means your goals are not yet sharp enough to guide behaviour.

Think about this by imagining the parts of the year where progress is dull, repetitive, or frustrating. Assume results come slowly, feedback is limited, and motivation dips. Which goals would you still choose to work on under those conditions, without needing excitement or quick wins to keep going?

A useful answer usually removes several goals from the list. Some ambitions only feel attractive when progress is fast or visible, others stay meaningful even when they demand patience and discomfort. The ones that survive this filter tend to be tied to identity, values, or long-term outcomes, not novelty or external validation.

Approach this as a forced choice, not a clever optimisation exercise. Assume that time, energy, and attention will be limited, because they always are. The aim is not to pick the perfect goal, but to identify the one focus that would justify deprioritising everything else if necessary.

A strong answer names something specific enough to guide decisions, not a broad theme like “health” or “career”. For example, it might be completing a defined project, stabilising a particular area of life, or building a single capability that unlocks other progress. If choosing one thing feels uncomfortable, that’s a sign you’re touching something important rather than spreading effort thin.

Look back at the goals you've set for yourself over the past year. Which ones have you achieved, and which ones are still a work in progress? Reflect on the process - what worked well, and what didn’t? Were there any unexpected challenges, successes, or changes that influenced your progress?

Consider the key lessons you've learned from pursuing these goals. Did some require more time or effort than expected? Were certain goals too ambitious or not challenging enough? Use these insights to guide your goal-setting for the upcoming year, ensuring your new goals are better aligned with your values, capabilities, and priorities.

Think about this by being honest about the conditions you’ll actually be operating under, not the ones you wish you had. Consider limits on time, energy, money, health, responsibilities, or attention, especially the ones that have been consistent in the past. Ignoring these doesn’t make them go away; it just turns plans into wishful thinking.

A useful answer names a small number of real constraints and treats them as fixed inputs rather than excuses. For example, limited evening energy, a demanding job, caregiving responsibilities, or financial pressure. Seeing these clearly helps you shape goals that fit reality, instead of constantly feeling behind for failing to meet an unrealistic plan.

Think about this as a trade-off question, not a discipline test. Every meaningful goal competes with something else for time, energy, or attention, even if that cost is easy to ignore. Instead of asking what you need to add, look at what is currently taking up space that your goals would need to occupy.

A strong answer names behaviours, commitments, or patterns that make progress impossible if they stay in place. That might be overcommitting, constant context-switching, saying yes out of habit, or maintaining routines that no longer serve you. The value comes from recognising that progress usually requires subtraction. If nothing needs to stop, the goal is probably not demanding enough to be real.

Think about the gap between where you are now and what success would actually demand of you. Instead of listing tasks or milestones, focus on what would need to change in how you operate day to day. This might relate to skills, decision-making, focus, boundaries, or how consistently you show up.

A useful answer often points to habits as much as abilities. For example, becoming better at protecting deep work time, recovering properly, having uncomfortable conversations sooner, or maintaining simple routines without relying on motivation. The aim is to identify the few capabilities or habits that, if improved, would make the rest of the goal far more achievable.

Take a moment to evaluate your current goals. Do they excite you and push you forward, or do they feel more like obligations? What about them is truly inspiring - are they connected to your passions, dreams, or values?

Now, think about how you could make those goals even bigger. Could you aim higher, broaden their impact, or challenge yourself in new ways? By expanding your goals, you might find even more motivation and enthusiasm. What would it take for these goals to be not just achievable, but transformational?