What about goals?
Intentions=Why, Goals=What, Plans=How
I may double-post this week as I have a long AI-related article coming out in HBR today that touches on intention. And a reminder: if you’d like a free calendar analysis, reply to this email with a screenshot of the week view of your calendar.
TLDR: Goals deserve a place in my spectrum between intentions and plans—intentions are internal commitments, goals are external outcomes, and plans are the structured path connecting them.
Word count: 329
Read time: 2 mins
One of my favourite subscribers suggested after last week's post that I'd missed out goals from my list of six: dreams, wishes, hopes, aspirations, intentions, plans, actions. It made me think, and I concluded that she was right, and that I should add it to the list.
I was tempted to hide behind the defence that language is fuzzy, terms overlap and most of what's meant and encompassed by goals is actually covered by the other terms in the list.
But really, goals belong in the list.
How I think of it—or have come to think of it—is that the intention is more internal, the goal is more external. The plan then brings you and your intention closer to that external goal. Like this:
Intention is to prioritize artistic pursuits in my life (internal - no one else can see it!). Think of this as the why.
Goal is to complete a portfolio of 10 paintings by December (external, others might well see it!) Think of this as the what.
Plan is to take a paint class for 3 hours every Saturday. Think of this as the how.
Another example, pertinent to my life right now:
Dream: Connect deeply with people across various cultures, Spanish in particular
Wish: I wish I could understand Spanish speakers, in any context
Hope/Aspiration: To become proficient in Spanish, to understand and be able to express myself comfortably
Intention: To dedicate time and energy consistently to language learning
Goal: To reach B1 proficiency level within 6 months, ie this year
Plan: 2 hours of classes every weekday + some Quizlet vocab revision each evening + one Spanish TV show (with subtitles) each night. All timeboxed, obviamente.
Actions: Carrying out the plan consistently, iterating when appropriate.
Try it. Think of a thing you’d like to achieve. Which of the seven buckets does it fall into? Probably one of the earlier ones. Find a way and make a plan to move it towards action and reality. Your calendar will be your friend here. It always is.
Marc
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This is great, I find that a lot of people have goals but they are much less likely to have plans. They fall into the trap of "one day" and they just continue doing the same things on autopilot. Gotta get those goals into action!
Highly relevant and insightful Mark. I love the 7 step process that links the deeper inner ‘why’ to action. Thanks for sharing.