New Year's Resolutions and Other Goals

This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid, Part 10: Golden Circle, Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward), Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult), Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators), Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant), Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks), Part 16: OKR (Objectives, Key Results), Part 17: PACT (Purposeful, Aligned, Continuous, Tracked), Part 18: Tiered Goals, Part 19: Theme Word.


Part 19: Theme Word

A Theme Word involves selecting a key word (like "Hope") or phrase (like "Take Time") to guide your plans and choices. It can be permanent or temporary. Many people like to choose a theme word for each year, as part of or instead of New Year's resolutions.



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This is the signup post for the sunshine_revival blogging challenge in 2025. It's a new version of the now defunct sunshine_challenge.

The parameters are simple: Prompts will appear on sunshine_revival  in July, and you make stuff inspired by them. Most people choose writing, but it doesn't have to be. Post something like "I signed up for the Sunshine Revival challenge at goals_on_dw" in your blog, then put a "Sunshine Revival" tag in your blog to make it easier for other people to find your entries. Adding "Sunshine Revival" to your Interests will also help identify you as a participant or reader. (It is best to use exactly the phrase "Sunshine Revival" because DW search tools don't recognize variations as the same topic, and to attach the tag to a post so it sticks.) Another good idea is setting up a masterlist where you can link your posts as you make them, which may or may not be part of your announcement post. Then make a comment below this post with details about your goal. You don't have to sign up to participate, it just helps spread the word and attract more readers.

Primary posting will run July 1 -- July 31, 2025.



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This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid, Part 10: Golden Circle, Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward), Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult), Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators), Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant), Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks), Part 16: OKR (Objectives, Key Results).


Part 16: OKR (Objectives, Key Results)

OKR stands for Objectives and Key Results. Objectives are qualitative descriptions of your chosen goals. They should challenge and motivate you. Key results the are things you measure in order to track your progress toward a goal. For each objective, aim to create about three to five key results. Your desired outcome will motivate you to improve the things you measure. A good way to express this is something like, "I will finish a book as measured by writing for one hour every day."



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This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid, Part 10: Golden Circle, Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward), Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult), Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators), Part 14: MASTER (Measurable, Achievable, Specific, Transforming, Evolving, Relevant), Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks).


Part 15: NCT (Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks)

NCT stands for Narratives, Commitments, and Tasks. Narratives are the stories you tell about your life and career, which give meaning and purpose to your actions. They create context and motivation for the goals that you choose. Commitments are strategic goals and priorities that follow with your narratives. they shape actions over the long term. Tasks are particular steps that work toward fulfilling commitments and advancing goals. They are concrete and measurable actions that need to be completed. Thus NCT is a resilient framework for making and pursuing long-term projects.



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This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid, Part 10: Golden Circle, Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward), Part 12: HARD (Heartfelt, Animated, Required, Difficult), Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators).


Part 13: KPI (Key Performance Indicators)

KPI stands for Key Performance Indicators. These are things you measure as part of pursuing your main goal, to see your progress toward reaching it. As a general rule, you will get more of what you measure, so choose mindfully. They can also be goals unto themselves. Say you have a goal of becoming the top cheese seller in your city. As part of this, you might set a target of selling X pounds of cheese per week, which is both a goal of its own and a way of measuring how close you are to becoming the top cheese seller.



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This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid, Part 10: Golden Circle, Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward).


Part 11: GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward)

The GROW framework has four components: Goal, Reality, Options, Way Forward. Goal is the objective you want to reach. Reality includes the current circumstances and context. Options can include various paths and strategies to pursue your goal. Way Forward describes the specific steps you will take to achieve your goal.



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This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick), Part 8: CLEAR (Collaborative, Limited, Emotional, Appreciable, Refinable), Part 9: Goal Pyramid.


Part 9: Goal Pyramid

A Goal Pyramid consists of four levels. At the top is the Vision, a desired outcome or long-term goal. The next layer holds the Strategic Goals, key objectives that guide the path toward the Vision. Below that lie the Tactical Goals, the assignments of each team or department to support the Strategic goals and the methods for achieving those. The base layer concerns Actions, the daily tasks that advance the Tactical Goals.



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This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals), Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick).


Part 7: BSQ (Think Big, Act Small, Move Quick)

BSQ stands for (Think) Big, (Act) Small, (Move) Quick. Think Big means choosing a goal that is worthy of your effort, a major accomplishment. Act Small breaks it down into actionable steps. Move Quick means to start working on it immediately and create a timeline for your chosen goal.



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This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific), Part 5: Backward Goal, Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals).

Part 6: BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals)

The BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) approach is for people who can't stand making small bets. You still have to break the whole thing down to actionable steps, but you're aiming big. This method is mainly about choosing the most ambitious goal you possibly could. It's exactly the opposite of methods based on choosing attainable goals that just require you to stretch a bit. Among the more famous examples is putting a man on the Moon.



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This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about goal-setting frameworks for goals_on_dw. Read Part 1: Introduction to Goal-Setting Frameworks, Part 2: The 1-3-5 Rule, Part 3: The 12-week Year, Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific).


Part 4: ABCS (Achievable, Believable, Committed, Specific)

The ABCS goal-setting framework touches on two aspects of the process. It looks at the kind of goals to set. It hints at how to pursue them. However, it doesn't go into as much detail as some other systems. That makes it light and fast, good for people who don't want to get bogged down. In a work situtation, this helps prevent meetings from going on and on.



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