Brain Dump Goal Setting: Find the Goals That Matter

When you sit down to set goals, it's hard to know where to start. Ideas, worries and half-plans compete for attention, and the loudest one wins rather than the most important.

A brain dump fixes that. You write everything down first, then decide. It takes about half an hour and you only need a pen or a blank note.

Step 1: write everything down

Set a timer for fifteen minutes. Write down every goal, wish, idea and "I should really..." that comes to mind. Don't judge, sort or tidy. If it pops into your head, it goes on the list.

If you get stuck, go through the areas of your life one at a time:

Health: fitness, sleep, food, how you feel.
Money: saving, debt, spending, earning.
Career and work: skills, a new role, a business.
Learning: a language, an instrument, a course.
Family and friends: time together, calls, trips.
Fun and adventure: places to go, things to try.

Big and small both count. "Visit Japan" sits next to "fix the back gate".

Step 2: sort it into three piles

Now read the list and mark each item:

Now: it matters, and you'd like to start in the next three months.
Later: it matters, but not yet. These become your dreams.
Let go: it's a "should" from someone else, or it no longer matters to you. Cross it out.

Crossing things out is the most useful part. Every item you let go is one less thing to feel guilty about.

Step 3: check the "now" pile against your values

Look at what's left in the "now" pile and ask why each one matters. The goals that connect to your core values, the things that matter most to you, are the ones you'll keep working on when it gets hard.

If you can't say why a goal matters, move it to "later".

Step 4: choose two or three

You'll probably have more "now" goals than you can work on at once. Choose two or three to start. When you finish one, come back to the list and pick the next.

Step 5: make them SMART

Turn each chosen goal into a SMART goal with a clear finish line and a date, then break it into small weekly steps.

Do it again

A brain dump isn't a one-off. Repeat it every few months, or whenever you feel scattered. Your "later" list will change, and some dreams will be ready to become goals.

In Lifetick

Keep your "later" pile as dreams, each tagged with a core value. When one is ready, turn it into a goal and Lifetick walks you through making it SMART.

See Create a dream, Turn a dream into a goal and back and Tie goals to your core values.

Do it in Lifetick Create a dreamKeep the big things you'd love to do one day as dreams, with how likely they feel and why they matter, until you're ready to make them goals.Turn a dream into a goal, and backWhen you're ready, convert a dream into a goal and plan it. If a goal has to wait, turn it back into a dream and keep its tasks.Write a SMART goalFive short questions turn a wish into a goal you can plan for. It takes about a minute.Tie goals to your core valuesLink each goal to a core value such as Health or Family, and rename, recolour or add values to fit your life.

Start with one goal

Lifetick is free on iPhone and the web, and five quick questions make it a SMART goal.

Empty your head, then choose.