{"id":53367,"date":"2021-11-07T10:18:56","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T14:18:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=53367"},"modified":"2026-01-22T14:09:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T18:09:13","slug":"low-goals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/low-goals\/","title":{"rendered":"Why You Must Stop Setting Low Goals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do your low goals help you achieve a higher-level goal? Why should you be picky about which goals you pursue?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are pursuing a goal that does not directly connect to your high-level goals (e.g. writing a novel or starting a business), you should drop it. Otherwise, you are wasting valuable time that could be spent pursuing your high-level goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here is why you should prioritize which goals you spend time on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Drop Your Lower Goals <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In her book Grit, <\/em>Duckworth advises that you make sure each lower-level goal directly helps you achieve the goal above it. If you can\u2019t see a direct connection between a low goal and your ultimate goal, then your lower-level goals likely aren’t moving you closer to your top goal, and you should probably stop pursuing them. Low-level goals are not to be held sacred\u2014they can be removed or changed. If you find a new low-level goal that is more effective or feasible, you can swap it for another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if your goal is to write a novel, but you\u2019re spending a lot of time building a brand on social media, you may realize that the time you spend promoting yourself is time not spent writing, and therefore is not moving you closer to your goal. Instead, you may switch out that low-level goal of self-promotion for a different low-level goal, like getting up at 5 a.m. every day to write 500 words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monitor How You\u2019re Spending Your Time<\/strong>

While your goals should be results that you purposefully aim for and that shape your lower-level activities, life-coach experts warn that sometimes, the process can work in reverse, and your lower-level activities can shape your results<\/a>. This happens when you\u2019re not purposeful about those lower-level activities. 

For example, if your conscious goal is to switch careers to something more fulfilling, but you spend your days working eight hours at your unfulfilling job and then coming home and watching television for three hours, it might be said that your true goal is to live with your job and watch television. 

Although your lower-level activities aren\u2019t goals<\/em> per se, when we spend a lot of time on them, they function as goals. Therefore, experts advise that you consciously track how you\u2019re spending your time so that you\u2019re aware of when you are devoting significant effort to something that is not advancing your ultimate goal. When that happens, you should switch out those activities for something that will advance your ultimate goal. This expands on Duckworth\u2019s advice by emphasizing that you should switch out not only your purposeful goals but also your non-goal time spends if they\u2019re also preventing you from reaching your goals<\/a>. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Duckworth argues that when you are flexible with your lower-level goals, you\u2019ll have a more resilient high-level goal because it will be able to absorb failures without defeating your ultimate aim. Furthermore, this lowers how defeated you feel after failure. If you fail on a low-level goal, another can take its place. Lots of low-level activities can drive you toward your top-level goal. You have a lot of routes to get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stresses that when a low goal isn\u2019t working, you should substitute it for something that approaches the next level goal a little differently. It\u2019s not enough to follow the advice of \u201ctry, try again,\u201d but instead, you should \u201ctry, try something else.\u201d This might mean reexamining what you\u2019ve been doing to figure out why it\u2019s not working\u2014for example, if you\u2019ve been submitting a manuscript to publishers and getting nothing but rejections, study that manuscript to see if it has a problem that\u2019s fixable. Then, fix it before submitting it elsewhere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexibility Leads to Resilience<\/strong>

Many management experts have offered advice on how to set goals<\/a> that will ensure long-term success, both for individuals and organizations. For example, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras discuss setting visionary goals in their book Built to Last<\/em><\/a>, which helps leaders develop and maintain companies that will stay relevant and overcome years of challenges. (Duckworth might call such companies \u201cgritty companies.\u201d)

Collins and Porras point out that the vision statements of long-lasting companies have two elements: 
A core principle<\/em> that gives them an overall mission: This corresponds to Duckworth\u2019s \u201chigh-level\u201d goals.A more practical principle<\/em> that directs their actions on a more specific level but can be changeable: This corresponds to Duckworth\u2019s \u201cmid-\u201d and \u201clow-level\u201d goals.

For example, a company might set out to \u201chelp students learn,\u201d which would be their overriding, larger mission (their high-level goal). On a more practical level, they might have a mission of \u201coffering tutoring services\u201d (their mid-level goal). As their business evolves, they may change that more practical mission to \u201coffering online video tutorials\u201d or even \u201cmaking documentaries,\u201d and as long as the new direction fits with their core principle, they\u2019re being true to their vision. The stability of the core principle combined with the flexibility of the practical principle allows the company to stay true to their overall mission and ensure that their smaller missions align with it, just as Duckworth advises. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Common Goal Problems<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Duckworth discusses some common failings of goal choices that can interfere with success, in particular, either having no lower-level goals mapped out to support your higher-level goals, or having multiple higher goals with no unifying theme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No lower-level goals<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n[image] grit_goal_graphic1.jpg<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might have a dream goal, like becoming a famous actor or a billionaire but are unable to envision the lower-level goals that will bring you there. Having a lofty goal like this without the lower-level goals supporting it amounts to no more than positive visualization<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Duckworth cautions that positive visualization may be fun and make you feel good, but if you don\u2019t consider the practical steps needed to achieve your goal, you\u2019re highly unlikely to reach it. Then when you fail, you\u2019ll feel significant disappointment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Positive Visualization Can Hinder Your Progress<\/strong>

Duckworth doesn\u2019t explore the mechanics of how positive visualization can negatively affect success, but other researchers have, proving that when you visualize your goals<\/a> without also visualizing the steps needed to get to that goal, you\u2019re less likely to achieve the goal. 

This seems to be a function of psychological energy. Researchers have found that when subjects used positive visualization techniques, their energy for their goal decreased<\/a>, and they were more likely to abandon their project. In contrast, subjects who either visualized negative things or thought about the possibility that they might not achieve their goal had higher energy and accomplished more. <\/strong>

The researchers hypothesize that visualizing a positive outcome has a relaxing effect on the body (which is why psychologists sometimes use positive visualization techniques to help anxious patients relax). However, if your goal is to accomplish something that requires energy and action, such relaxation techniques can be counterproductive. It\u2019s far better to prepare yourself mentally for the challenges you face so that your mind gathers the strength and stamina you\u2019ll need to face those challenges. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Mid-level goals without a top-level goal<\/h5>\n\n\n
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\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n[image] grit_goal_graphic2.jpg<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Duckworth warns that a more common problem is having multiple mid-level goals without a unifying, overall goal to bridge them together. When that happens, you might end up with goals that conflict with each other, or you may feel like you\u2019re spinning your wheels\u2014applying a lot of effort without going in any particular direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you feel pulled in too many directions, how do you prune your goal list?<\/strong> Duckworth relates an exercise that Warren Buffett suggests to help you prioritize:<\/p>\n\n\n\n