In the long run [people] only hit what they aim at. Therefore, though they should fail immediately, they had better aim at something high.

– Henry David Thoreau

I’m a prolific goal-setter and a very occassional goal-hitter. It’s exciting to have a goal.

There’s also an entire field of philosophy built up around it.

This is not a comprehensive guide to goals. Merely some thoughts on the practice.

Input & Output Goals

( The initiative to write about this topic was a post by Ryan Peterman on Substack. )

An input goal is what you choose to do. Examples

• Run 3 times per week
• Write for 1 hour per day

An output goal is the result of the input. Examples

• Run a sub-20 minutes 5k
• Publish 1 article per week

Some observations about this dichotomy

OUTPUTS ARE OUT OF YOUR DIRECT CONTROL

I have the agency to choose to go for a run (or not).

I do not have the agency to choose to run a 5k. I may be able to, or not.

Outputs are generally non-linear & non-deterministic with respect to inputs.

If my goal is to publish an article each week, I cannot predict how much input (time, energy) that will take. Sometimes the words will flow, and other times I might need to do a lot of research.

An output goal like “Get 1 million YouTube subscribers” is so significantly out of your control that an input metric might be more useful.

OUTPUTS ARE GAMEABLE

When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure

– Goodhart’s law

Output goals can be crude and incentivise gaming. To put it differently, output goals can lose their spirit, and reduce quality, in pursuit.

I can easily publish 1 article per week if the article is terrible.

I can squat more weight if I sacrifice good form.

INPUTS CAN BE HOLLOW

Input goals can become a tick-box exercise.

If my writing hour each day is distracted and low-quality, what have I achieved by it?

If my run has no useful biological stimulus, what was the point?

OUTPUTS ARE USUALLY WHAT YOU CARE ABOUT

You might enjoy writing or running or whatever, but usually you want to get an outcome.

You want to get fitter, faster, stronger, healthier, wealthier, etc.

BOTH

Reducing our wishes to goals, especially metrics, undoubtedly reduces their dimensions.

We want goals that capture the spirit, intent & parameters of our aims.

You need well-defined goals that encapsulate both the input & the output.

Writing example:

• Input: Write for 1 undistracted hour each day
• Output: Publish N posts each week that I would be happy to share with colleagues.
• Spirit: Build the habit of becoming a good writer