Health
Walk 8,000 steps a day, five days a week, for the next month
A daily number is easy to check and five days leaves room for busy ones.
First stepCheck your phone for last week's average so you know where you're starting.
Goal examples · For you
Personal goals examples you'll actually keep
These personal goals examples are for the things that matter outside work: your health, the people you love, what you want to learn and the life admin that never gets done. A personal goal sticks when it's small enough to start this week and clear enough that you'll know when it's done.
Each one has a number or a date and a first step, and each is a SMART goal. Copy one, change it to fit your life, and start with the first step. Or shape your own with the SMART goal generator.
Show
Health goals
Health goals work best when they're about what you do, not just the result. You control the walk; you don't fully control the scales.
5 examplesHealth
Run a 5 km parkrun without stopping by the end of March
A real event on a real date gives the training a point. Most beginner plans take eight to ten weeks.
First stepFind your nearest parkrun and pick the date.
Health
Be in bed by 10:30 pm on weeknights for four weeks
Sleep makes every other goal easier. A bedtime is something you can actually do, unlike "sleep better".
First stepSet a 10 pm alarm called "start winding down".
Health
Cook dinner at home five nights a week this month
Cooking at home is cheaper and usually healthier. Five nights leaves two for takeaway without guilt.
First stepPlan next week's five dinners and write the shopping list.
Health
Drink no alcohol on weeknights until the end of February
A clear rule is easier to keep than "drink less". Weekends stay your call.
First stepChoose what you'll drink instead and buy it this week.
Habit and mind goals
A habit goal is a small thing done often. Track it each day, and when you miss one, start again the next day. See Track a habit until it sticks.
5 examplesHabit and mind
Meditate for 10 minutes every morning for 30 days
Ten minutes fits before breakfast. Thirty days is long enough to know whether it helps.
First stepChoose the app or timer and the spot you'll sit.
Habit and mind
Write three lines in a journal every night this month
Three lines is short enough to do when you're tired, and it builds a record you can look back on. See Why keep a goal journal.
First stepPut a notebook or the app by your bed tonight.
Habit and mind
Keep screens out of the bedroom for six weeks
The phone by the bed costs sleep and mornings. Moving the charger is most of the work.
First stepMove your phone charger to the kitchen tonight.
Habit and mind
Spend one hour a week outside with no plans
Unplanned time outdoors is good for your head. Booking it is what makes it happen.
First stepPick the hour this week and put it in your calendar.
Habit and mind
Read for 20 minutes a day and finish 12 books this year
Twenty minutes a day is about a book a month. The daily habit does the work; the count shows it's working.
First stepChoose your first book and leave it where you sit at night.
Relationship goals
Relationship goals can feel odd to write down, but the ones that matter most are often the ones that slip. A date and a step stop them waiting for "when things calm down".
5 examplesRelationship
Have a no-phones dinner with the family three nights a week
Shared meals are where the week gets talked about. Three nights is enough to make it a habit.
First stepAgree the three nights with everyone this weekend.
Relationship
Call your parents or grandparents every Sunday
A regular call is easier than waiting until you have news. Sunday makes it a habit.
First stepSet a weekly reminder for Sunday afternoon.
Relationship
Plan one date night a month with your partner this year
Twelve evenings a year that are just for the two of you. Take turns planning.
First stepBook the first one and decide who plans the next.
Relationship
Catch up in person with a different friend each month
Friendships fade from not trying, not from falling out. Once a month keeps a lot of them going.
First stepWrite a list of 12 friends you'd like to see more.
Relationship
Do one kind thing for a neighbour this month
Small kindness builds the kind of street you want to live on, and it feels good.
First stepThink of one neighbour who could use a hand.
Learning and hobby goals
Learning goals are easier to keep when there's something to show at the end: a song, a conversation, a finished thing.
5 examplesLearning and hobby
Practise Spanish for 15 minutes a day and hold a 5-minute conversation by June
Daily practice plus a real test. The conversation is what makes the practice feel worth it.
First stepPick your app or course and do today's 15 minutes.
Learning and hobby
Learn three songs on the guitar by the end of April
Songs you like are a better goal than "learn guitar". Each one is a small finish line.
First stepChoose the first song and look up the chords.
Learning and hobby
Finish one creative project a month, like a painting or a piece of writing
Finishing is the skill. A monthly deadline stops projects living half-done forever.
First stepPick this month's project and the night you'll start it.
Learning and hobby
Take a short course in something new by the end of the year
A short course gives you a date, a teacher and other people learning with you.
First stepFind three courses near you and the dates they start.
Learning and hobby
Plan and take one weekend trip somewhere new by September
A trip needs dates, a budget and bookings. Writing it as a goal turns "one day" into a plan. If it's still a someday idea, keep it as a dream for now.
First stepPick three places and check one weekend that works.
Home and life admin goals
Life admin is the stuff that's never urgent until it is. Give it a date like any other goal.
5 examplesHome and life admin
Clear one room or cupboard each weekend for a month
Four weekends, four spaces. Small enough to finish in an afternoon.
First stepChoose the first space and get boxes for give away, sell and bin.
Home and life admin
Write a will and store it safely by the end of March
Nobody wants to do it, which is why it needs a date.
First stepFind out what a will costs where you live and book a time.
Home and life admin
Sort your digital photos into folders by year by June
Thousands of photos you never look at become a family record you can find.
First stepDo the first year this weekend.
Home and life admin
Fix the five small jobs around the house that keep getting put off
The dripping tap and the sticking door are small, but they nag. A list of five makes it finite.
First stepWalk around the house and write the five down.
Home and life admin
Have no unread letters or bills older than a week, every week
A weekly ten-minute sort stops the pile on the bench. It's a small goal that takes a lot of stress away.
First stepSort today's pile and choose the day for your weekly sort.
How to make them your own
Two or three at a time.
Pick the two or three that matter most this season. More than that and they all move slowly.
Make it about what you do.
"Walk five days a week" is in your control. "Lose 5 kg" partly isn't. Pair them if you like.
Write down why.
A line about why it matters to you is what keeps you going in week three.
A step this week.
Every goal above ends with a first step. Do it in the next few days while you still care.
Tell someone.
A friend who asks how it's going makes a goal far more likely to happen.
Start again after a miss.
Missing a day doesn't end a goal. Missing two in a row is what to watch.
Questions people ask
What are personal goals?
Personal goals are the things you want to do or change in your own life, outside your job: health, relationships, learning, money and home. They work best when you choose them yourself and write them clearly enough to know when they're done.
How do I set personal goals?
Start with what matters most to you this year, then pick two or three areas. For each, write one goal with a number or date, a reason it matters and a first step. How to write SMART goals and New Year goals that last past February walk through it.
How many personal goals should I have?
Two or three at a time. A small goal you finish in a few weeks alongside one bigger goal for the year is a good mix. See Small, medium and large goals.
What are good personal goals for this year?
The best ones are the ones you'll still care about in March. A health habit, a relationship you want to put time into, and one thing to learn or finish is a balanced start.
What should I do when I fall behind?
Shrink the goal, don't drop it. Halve the number or push the date, then take the next small step. Falling behind is normal; stopping completely is the only real failure.
In Lifetick
In Lifetick, you write a goal in your own words and five quick questions make it a SMART goal. Break it into steps with dates and reminders, and tick them off on your iPhone or the web.
Link each goal to the values that matter to you, keep bigger ideas as dreams until you're ready, and add a supporter who can see your progress and cheer you on. Free keeps two goals going at a time. See Write a SMART goal and Share a goal or add a supporter.
For more on keeping personal goals going, see the online goal tracker and Lifetick for you.
Do it in LifetickWrite a SMART goalFive short questions turn a wish into a goal you can plan for. It takes about a minute.Share a goal or add a supporterInvite someone to cheer you on, work through the tasks with you, or own the goal with you. Or accept someone else's invite.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.
More goal examples
For teams
All goal examples
20 team goal examples
Twenty team goal examples for sales, support, operations and small business owners, each with a number, a date and a first step to take this week.
For teams20 performance goals examples
Twenty performance goals examples for staff and managers, each with a number, a date and a first step, so reviews talk about progress, not opinions.
For teams20 professional development goals
Twenty professional development goals examples for skills, study, leadership and career moves, each with a date and a first step for this week.
Start with one goal this week.
Lifetick is free on iPhone and the web, and five quick questions make it a SMART goal.
