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A goal framework contra SMART, plus the CSI approach

6 tweets · June 2022 · 13 likes · 0 retweets · read on Twitter

Replying to Vivid Void @vividvoid ·

Has anyone improved on the SMART goal framework? I want to go a little bit meta on goal setting practice. Has anyone done any innovating here?

@VividVoid_ here's our framework for goals, which is pretty contra SMART this is just saying "what is a goal"; doesn't directly say what makes a goal well-defined

Intend (12/100 threads) @IntendApp ·

Goal = recognizable desired state in the future, that causes you to act differently in the present so as to realize it. If... 🛣️ no recognizable state = "trajectory" 😣 not desired = "should" 👀 not future = "regret" ☁️ no action = "dream" 🤠 actions just for show = "signalling"

@VividVoid_ notably absent are several of the items from SMART:

Malcolm Ocean 🏴‍☠️ @Malcolm_Ocean ·

This is a very spacious meaning for "goal". It doesn't require:  📅 a due date (usually embarrassingly over-optimistic)  #️⃣ a numerical metric (which is just a proxy for what really matters)  🏁 a state of finality (it has to be in the future, but it can be ongoing)

@VividVoid_ I made a thread describing why the 5 elements mentioned above are vital for having a goal

Malcolm Ocean 🏴‍☠️ @Malcolm_Ocean ·

This is inspired by those experiments where someone tries baking cookies with a bunch of variations on ingredients & process. twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/st…

@VividVoid_ and then I did another thread about why I don't think due dates, numerical metrics, or states of finality are required, how they can mess you up, and why/how you might want them anyway so directly addressing SMART

Malcolm Ocean 🏴‍☠️ @Malcolm_Ocean ·

Last December, I broke down the vital ingredients in the goal definition we use at Goal-Crafting Intensive workshops. 🎯 Goal = recognizable desired state in the future, that causes you to act differently in the present so as to realize it. This thread 🧵 = what ISN'T required: twitter.com/Malcolm_Ocean/…

@VividVoid_ as for what makes goals *good*, we use something called CSI Approach, a little-known framework that we got from Nick Winter's book The Motivation Hacker and I think he cites Piers Steel Challenging (not default) Specific Immediate (can start now) Approach-oriented (vs avoid)

@VividVoid_ I now have a whole thread on the CSI approach:

Malcolm Ocean 🏴‍☠️ @Malcolm_Ocean ·

My favorite is "CSI Approach" which we use in the GCI workshops for goal definition. 😤 Challenging (won't happen by default) 🎯 Specific (you can recognize when you've arrived) 👣 Immediate (next steps now) 😍 Approach (towards, not away) twitter.com/anesmithbeck/s…