A KICK ASS GUIDE

TO GOAL SETTING
A ONE THING GUIDE

It’s safe to say that when it comes to goal achievement, most people think in terms of
crossing items off their daily to-do list. That is, they don’t think of pursuing personal or
professional aspirations that are less urgent but ultimately more important. What they
are doing is often a day-to-day crisis management approach for tasks at hand rather
than actually working toward something larger. It’s a common problem with a simple yet
uncommon solution.

If this is something you find yourself doing at times, don’t lose hope. The authors of The
ONE Thing can help you change your approach for the better. When you use their Goal
Setting to the Now system, you are creating a functional way to both identify and achieve
your long-term goals. It’s a means for understanding what big things in your life need your
attention and giving yourself permission not to sweat the small stuff.

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 This is a system that can help you in all facets of life.
“When everyone is in agreement on the big In other words, you can implement Goal Setting to the
goal, it becomes a compass to direct them Now (GSTTN) to reach your personal summit in both
in their daily activities.” business and in life. In your professional world, this can
lead to greater collaboration and support for the work at
hand. When everyone is in agreement on the big goal, it
becomes a compass to direct them in their daily activities. A similar effect can be experienced in your personal life—when
those that matter most to you have an understanding of what you want to achieve, they will not only want to go along
for the ride, they’ll want to support you too.
You start the GSTTN process by setting your long-term goals. We’ll get into more detail for each step of the GSTTN
process later in this guide, but for now, use the image below to help you better understand what the process for reaching
your goals entails. In the first step, you’ll look ahead in your life and think about where you want to see yourself
someday. What are you doing in your work and in your personal life? Take this opportunity to really think about what
accomplishments will make you happy in the long run and write them down. You can then drill down further to shorten
your timeframes, such as what you want to see yourself achieve five years down the road and even one year from now.

Step 1: Set your long-term and 5-year goals.

Step 2 : Use the GPS to lay out your annual goals.

Step 3: Break your goals into monthly and Step 5: Create a task list to work
weekly pieces with the 4-1-1. from when time permits.

Step 4: Time block your calendar to make Step 6: Capture any other thoughts
time for your most important work. or tasks that arise.

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 Once you understand where you want to go, you need to figure out how to get there. What needs to be done to
achieve these lofty goals? This is where step 2, the GPS part of the process, comes into effect. The GPS, for all practical
purposes, is a road map that lays out what you need to focus on to reach your goals over the next year. For each big goal
you set, you’ll write out a step-by-step plan to use in the year ahead in order to reach it. With the GPS, you’ll break
down each long-term goal into the priorities set around it and the strategies
that must be implemented to achieve it. Accomplishing the priorities and
strategies laid out in the GPS will get you closer to your ultimate goal. “Once you understand where
you want to go, you need to
After you’ve determined the priorities and strategies you’ll put into action
to achieve your long-term goals over the next year, you’ll need to pinpoint figure out how to get there.”
what to do in the present time to get the ball rolling. Step 3 of the process,
the 4-1-1, helps you break your aspirations into smaller and more attainable pieces for the here and now. Think of the
4-1-1 as an at-a-glance look at what you want to accomplish in the month ahead, broken down into weekly increments.
The 4-1-1 holds you accountable to doing what is required right now to achieve your ultimate goals, because without
completing these short-term action items, you won’t get where you need to go.
Once you’ve identified what needs to be done in the short term to reach your long-term goals, you need to set aside
the time to do it. Step 4 of the process is time blocking, which, to put it simply, involves taking a calendar and marking
off adequate time to complete this essential work. Think of this time as an appointment you’ve made with yourself—
you’ll need to keep the appointment if you want to make progress toward accomplishing your goals.
When the work you must do to achieve your big goals is mapped out for the year and accounted for on your daily
calendar, you can finally turn to some of your smaller tasks. This is where steps 5 and 6 come into effect. It goes without
saying that there are always going to be things going on in your professional and personal life that, while not part of your
big goals, may still warrant your attention. Once you have the necessary work accounted for each day to take the steps
toward accomplishing your big goals, you can guiltlessly turn to other items you may have been pushing off.
With this brief overview complete, we can now take a closer look at each step of the GSTTN process.

STEP 1: PINPOINTING YOUR LONG-TERM GOALS

Whether you are focusing on your professional or per- When you first sit down to attack your goals using
sonal life, each step of GSTTN will help you get crystal the GSTTN process, you should think about setting
clear about what’s important at that moment in time. the vision for your goal-achievement journey. Consider
it your first foray into working through this thought
process. Step 1 (which you can find marked as exercise 2
in the back of this guide) is about getting clear on what
you’ll need to do to reach your end goal. Defining your
far-off “Someday” goals establishes your road map for the
future and should not be something you rush through.
Plan to share your future goals with your business part-
ners and family; many of your goals will include them,
so involving them in the process makes sense. Plus, their
feedback might guide you to make valuable revisions
and ­refinements.
After you’ve laid out these Long-Term Goals, refer
back to the preliminary GSTTN thoughts you put on
paper and determine what has to be in place in five years
in order to reach your Someday Goal. You’ll need to be
completely honest with yourself as you will want to set

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realistic expectations for yourself for both the future and a cohesive strategy to get there. Along the same lines, if
the present. you’re hoping to move into a new home, you’ll need to
For example, if you’re looking to open additional get real clear about your family’s finances over the next
offices outside of your local area, you’ll need to map out five years.

STEP 2: THE GPS

At its simplest, the GPS stands for “goals, priorities,
and strategies” and is based on your Long-Term Goals.
It’s a straightforward, no-frills business plan (see exer-
cise 3 in the back of this guide) that looks at what you
need to accomplish in the coming year to be in align-
ment with what you want in the future. When you finish
your GPS, you’ll be able to see where you’re going and
you’ll know how you’re going to get there.
• Goal: What do you want to accomplish this year?
• Priorities: What key things will you need to focus
on in order to achieve your goal?
• Strategies: What actions are necessary to achieve
each priority?
Remember, a GPS outlines your plan of attack for
one specific goal. This means it’s possible to have more
than one goal for the coming year that requires a GPS. new business, and developing key relationships. To do
You can complete this activity for each of your goals and this, you’d brainstorm a handful of strategies that would
determine which need your immediate attention. ultimately move the needle for each priority and help
While there is no exact science to the number of prior- you achieve the year-over-year growth you wanted.
ities or strategies that will help you reach a specific goal, a Like the first step of this journey helped you set your
good rule of thumb is to have approximately three prior- vision, and your Long-Term Goals helped to set the
ities and five strategies per goal. And remember, reaching course, you’ll find that the GPS is incredibly helpful
any big goal requires personal growth, so be sure to account when planning for the year ahead with your team. Even
for the thinking, skills, and habits you’ll need to develop in if team members have drastically different roles, the GPS
the priorities and strategies section of the GPS. can show you—and them—where their responsibilities
In your professional world, for example, if your goal affect one another and contribute to the overall mis-
was to grow your consulting business by a certain year- sion. With this clarity, you’ll be able to determine if too
over-year percentage, you might plan to achieve it by much or too little responsibility has been assigned to any
focusing on prospecting for new business, marketing for one teammate.

STEP 3: THE 4-1-1

Your Long-Term Goals and your GPS are complete. are laid out in front of you in an action plan. Remember,
The next part of the GSTTN process involves breaking each week on the 4-1-1 is a step toward achieving your
down your annual goals into monthly milestones and ultimate goal.
weekly targets. That’s where the 4-1-1 comes in. It stands We suggest laying out your 4-1-1 on one sheet of
for four weeks, one month, and one year of goals, which paper, like the one illustratred on the following page.

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 I can do this month such that by doing it everything else
will be easier or unnecessary?” This question, called the
Focusing Question, helps you prioritize the most im-
portant things so that they get done first. Asking it helps
you to form your plan of attack, as your answers to it get
listed as “My Monthly Goals.” From there on out, you
can update your 4-1-1 at the beginning of every week to
set “My Weekly Goals” for the rest of the month. As each
week is about to begin, look back on what you accom-
plished previously and determine what you need to get
done in order to stay on track to hit your monthly goals.
When the month ends, start a new 4-1-1 by filling in the
annual goals first (note: they may have changed given how
the year is progressing), followed by what you need to get
done for the month in that first week.
If you plan to succeed at a high level, you need to
You can refer to exercise 4 in the back of this guide to expect to be accountable for your actions—and the 4-1-1
create your own. Why just one sheet of paper? Because helps people to do just that. In fact, in a research paper
you only need one glance to easily see and internalize the entitled, “Why Do Some People Succeed Where Others
plan for your year, month, and week. Fail?” Dr. Richard B. Gunderman noted: “One of the
At the top, under “My Annual Goals,” copy over the traits shared in common by successful people is a sense
priorities specified in your GPS, whether professional or that they make things happen, as opposed to the sense
personal. Refer back to these annual goals often to keep a that things happen to them.” People who achieve their
clear picture of what you plan to accomplish during the goals connect the dots between their actions and their
coming year. Then each month, work backward from your outcomes, and they are clear that they alone are responsi-
annual goals to set monthly and weekly targets. As much ble for their own ­success.
as you’re focused on and driven by the Someday Goal out- And when it comes to others who are on the goal
lined in your Long-Term Goals, the key to success is being achievement journey with you, the 4-1-1 is helpful
able to zero in on the actionable items of today. To do so, because it acts as a form of ongoing communication to
ask yourself the following question around each of your ensure that the right work is being done to maintain the
goals: “Based on my annual goal, what’s the ONE Thing trajectory toward the goal.

STEP 4: TIME BLOCKING YOUR CALENDAR

Once you’ve decided to take action on the goals succeed. In a professional setting, the morning is generally
outlined in your 4-1-1, you need to grab your calendar the best time to time block for those key activities that are
and schedule time to work on the key activities that will essential to your goal, unless your profession operates on
move you toward them. That’s what time blocking is— a different timetable. It’s when your willpower is freshest,
making an appointment with yourself so that you can your energy is highest, and distractions are lowest. And
work on what really matters. And this doesn’t mean just when you work on your key tasks early in the day, even
putting time aside, but actually using it for what you’ve if you’re less focused later on, you’ll still get a lot accom-
planned to use it for. Trust us, you won’t accomplish plished. This is because you will have created so much
your goals if you allow yourself to take your eye off the momentum and power in the morning that what you do
ball. And yes, both your professional and personal life during the afternoon will become about supporting what
goals need to be time blocked for. you accomplished during your time block. And, as a side
It may surprise you, but the part of the day where you benefit, you’ll know your most important work is com-
schedule your time block can also impact your likeliness to pleted for the day, which is a feat to be celebrated in itself.

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 Time blocking as a team is also beneficial. And
believe us, it’s actually easier than it sounds to set up
a uniform time block. Companies such as National
THINGS TO TIME BLOCK ON YOUR
Instruments, 3M, Facebook, and Google are proponents CALENDAR
of meeting-free days or hours of the day to allow their
employees to focus on their work. If they can do it, you 1. Your time off: Time to recharge, rest, and relax.
can too. When everyone abides by the same rules, em- 2. Your most important goal: That thing that will single-
ployees experience an increase in productivity because handedly help you reach your Someday Goals.
there are fewer interruptions and distractions taking
3. Your planning time: Adjust your time block accordingly
them from the task at hand. These time blocks also re-
based on whether or not you’ve dedicated enough time
move some of the inconsistencies of a workday that can to your most important goal.
contribute to unnecessary disruptions. When a coworker
or team member knows when you’re unreachable but
also knows when you will be available to collaborate or aren’t part of your time block. This gives you uninter-
answer questions, you’ll find they can hold questions, rupted periods of time to focus on what matters most
comments, or meetings for the periods of time that for hitting your goals.

STEP 5: YOUR TASK LIST

The GSTTN process helps you to plan your approach panies your 4-1-1 for these items. Your less important
for accomplishing your big goals, although it’s true that undertakings go here. And when you’ve completed your
some of your smaller to-do items will never disappear daily time block for your most important goal, you can
completely. We suggest creating a task list that accom- refer to the task list and work on one of these items.

STEP 6: STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING EVERYTHING ELSE

If you’re somewhere without your 4-1-1 and GPS While jotting a key thought down with a pen and paper is
sheets, or you are in the middle of your focused time block an easily implementable option wherever you are, there are
and a thought arises relating to one of your goals or tasks, also a multitude of digital alternatives available for manag-
it’s important to have a mechanism in place to handle ing the tasks that arise to better meet your goals.
these stray thoughts. You need to be able to capture ideas For instance, Wunderlist is one of the many task
when they happen so you can stay focused. In our offices, management systems that has piqued our attention.
we encourage everyone to carry a notebook throughout This program manages your to-do list across a variety
the day to be prepared to track thoughts and projects. of platforms and enables you to share it, ensuring that
it is always up to date and you are always in the know.
Another benefit of Wunderlist is that it allows you to pri-
oritize your list, versus simply keeping it in order of the
task’s inclusion. This allows you to glance at the list and
quickly take action on your most important items.
FollowUp.cc is a different yet equally compelling tool
for keeping your tasks on goal. This system allows you
to set reminders to tell you when to follow up on lower
priority tasks and communications.
Finally, Evernote belongs on this list of strategies for
keeping track of your goals. This program works across
mobile and desktop platforms in order to help you stay

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 Here’s a real-life example of a woman who used the GSTTN system to
determine how to take action on her Someday Goal. This woman, an
attendee of a ONE Thing seminar, determined her ultimate goal was to
become the main act at a jazz venue. Recognizing this was no small
feat, she used the GSTTN process to work backward and plan her
path to success:

IN FIVE YEARS
Have 25 jazz classics mastered—enough for an entire performance

IN ONE YEAR
Have the first 5 of 25 jazz classics mastered—on track to excel at 5 per year

THIS MONTH
Start practicing the pieces

THIS WEEK
Identify the 25 jazz classics to focus on

TODAY
Start research on the library of jazz music

organized with notes, to-do lists, idea captures, and re- New options for managing your goals, tasks, and time
minders, just to start. It’s a searchable collection of your crop up all the time. The important thing to note is that
notes, thoughts, and tasks, conveniently all in one place you don’t have to go it alone. There are a variety of prod-
so that you can quickly find what you need and stay on ucts to help you streamline your tasks and to-do list and
the task at hand. be your most productive self.

NEXT STEPS
Inspired and ready to get started? Turn the page and begin the journey toward your Someday Goal by outlining it and
then breaking it into smaller more attainable goals for the moments in time leading up to it. There’s no better time
than the present to get started on your future.

THE GOAL SET TING TO THE NOW PROCESS AT A GL ANCE

Step 1: Determine what your big Someday and Five Year Goals are, and share them with the people who
are impacted by these goals. Commit to your goals by putting them on paper and work backward from these
goals to determine what you’ll have to accomplish in the year ahead.
Step 2: Using the GPS format, break your goal for the year down into the priorities you’ll focus on and the
strategies you’ll use to achieve each priority.
Step 3: With the 4-1-1, indicate the annual goals you are working toward and how this translates to the
work you must do this month. Then, design an action plan for the first week of the month you’re in based
on what you are aiming to accomplish.
Step 4: Time block on your calendar for the important activities highlighted on your action plan that will
help you accomplish your key goals.
Step 5: Create a task list to work from for your less important items when available time presents itself.
Step 6: Carry a notebook to capture any additional thoughts or tasks that arise over the course of your day. By
writing things down, you don’t have to commit to remembering them and can stay focused on the task at hand.

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EXERCISE 1
GOAL SETTING TO THE NOW

SOMEDAY PROFESSIONAL OR PERSONAL GOAL:

What’s the ONE Thing I want to do someday?

Teruma renda passiva mensal de US$100k e uma boa renda ativa sem que seja
necessário comprometer e desequilibrar o tempo para as outras coisas
importantes da vida.

FIVE-YEAR GOAL:
Based on my Someday Goal, what’s the ONE Thing I can do in the next five years?

Ter
no mínimo 3 fontes de renda, com uma renda passiva e ativa
somando mensalmente US$ 10k


ONE-YEAR GOAL:
Based on my Five-Year Goal, what’s the ONE Thing I can do this year?

Ter no mínimo 2 fontes de renda mensal que somem, na média, US$ 2k.
Ter um plano para uma nova fonte de renda.


MONTHLY GOAL:
Based on my One-Year Goal, what’s the ONE Thing I can do this month?

Melhora gestão da 1ª fonte de renda, implementar uma 2ª fonte de renda e

estudar algo para uma nova fonte de renda.


WEEKLY GOAL:
Based on my Monthly Goal, what’s the ONE Thing I can do this week?

Começar a cumprir a agenda da 1ª Fonte de Renda, melhorar a gestão da 1ª fonte de

renda, traçar um plano para implementar a 2ª fonte de renda e estudar algo para uma

nova Fonte de Renda.
DAILY GOAL:
Based on my Weekly Goal, what’s the ONE Thing I can do today?

Listar e organizar a agenda da 1ª Fonte de Renda, Planejar a semana, Ler.



RIGHT NOW:
Based on my Daily Goal, what’s the ONE Thing I can do right now?

Finalizar
o planejamento semanal e mensal, implementando as técnicas
aprendidas.


Source: Adapted from Keller, Gary and Papasan, Jay. The ONE Thing, 2013.

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EXERCISE 2
LONG-TERM GOALS

1) SOMEDAY GOALS
Personal Business
1. Ter saúde 1. 
2. Melhor gestão de tempo 2. 
3. Sss 3. 
4.  4. 
5.  5. 

2) FIVE-YEAR GOALS
Personal Business
1.  1. 
2.  2. 
3.  3. 
4.  4. 
5.  5. 

3) ONE-YEAR GOALS
Personal Business
1.  1. 
2.  2. 
3.  3. 
4.  4. 
5.  5. 

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EXERCISE 3
THE GPS

1) MY ONE THING FOR THE YEAR



1) PRIORITY #1: 
i. Strategy #1:  
ii. Strategy #2:  
iii. Strategy #3:  
iv. Strategy #4:  
v. Strategy #5:  

2) PRIORITY #2: 
i. Strategy #1:  
ii. Strategy #2:  
iii. Strategy #3:  
iv. Strategy #4:  
v. Strategy #5:  

3) PRIORITY #3: 
i. Strategy #1:  
ii. Strategy #2:  
iii. Strategy #3:  
iv. Strategy #4:  
v. Strategy #5:  

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EXERCISE 4
THE 4-1-1

MY ANNUAL GOALS
Personal Business
1.   1.  
2.   2.  
3.   3.  

MY MONTHLY GOALS
Personal Business
1.   1.  
2.   2.  
3.   3.  

MY WEEKLY GOALS
WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4
Personal Personal Personal Personal
1.  1.  1.  1. 
2.  2.  2.  2. 
3.  3.  3.  3. 

Business Business Business Business

1.  1.  1.  1. 
2.  2.  2.  2. 
3.  3.  3.  3. 

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FOR MORE INFORMATION
Read The ONE Thing and refer to the resources at www.the1thing.com to develop the insights, skills,
and habits that will help you take each step of your journey with power and passion. Find up-to-
date information on seminars and coaching programs, as well as exclusive ONE Thing tools that will
keep you on the journey you want to be on. It matters. It’s your life.

www.facebook.com/theONEthingbook @the1thingbook

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 REFERENCES
1. Gratton, Lynda and Erickson, Tamara J. “Eight Ways to Build Collaborative Teams.” Harvard Business Review. November 2007.
hbr.org/2007/11/eight-ways-to-build-collaborative-teams

2. Hauer, Igal. “7 Ways to Finally Get Your Team on the Same Page.” Fast Company.com. January 9, 2015. www.fastcompany.
com/3040655/7-ways-to-finally-get-your-team-on-the-same-page

3. Gunderman, Richard B. “Why Do Some People Succeed Where Others Fail? Implications for Education” Radiology. Vol. 226.
January 2003. pp. 29-31.

4. https://highfive.com/blog/try-no-meeting-days-at-work-for-more-heads-down-time/

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