Goal Setting Workshop 💜

Key wellness, self-care, and productivity strategies from the workshop

1) Start with good goal setting (so you have direction)

If you don’t know where you want to go, you can’t get there efficiently—goal setting is the first, essential step.

Choose a time horizon that fits your preference:

• Quarterly (the host’s preference; easier to focus)
• Yearly (if you like working on a longer cycle)

2) Brain-dump before you refine (reduce mental clutter)

• Get ideas out of your head onto paper/computer so you can free up cognitive space.
• Don’t critique ideas during brainstorming—write first, judge later.
• Use a timer to avoid getting stuck (example used: 5 minutes per prompt).

3) Use brainstorming tools that match how your brain works

Pick one or combine both:

• Mind map
  • Links ideas together (good for seeing connections across life areas)
  • Often produces categories/keywords more than fully fleshed-out goals
• List
  • Fast for unconnected ideas
  • Easier to review later

4) Dream toward “pleasure” and away from “pain”

The workshop frames goals as coming from two directions:

• Move toward pleasure / what you want
• Move away from pain / what sucks

Then focus your reflection accordingly:

• Ideal self / ideal life questions (joy, fulfillment, peace, daily-life feel)
• Habits, routines, mindsets that would support that ideal life
• What’s holding you back (identify barriers without self-shaming)
• What sucks right now (pain points you can influence)

5) Avoid burnout by limiting scope during the early stages

• Brainstorm broadly, but recognize the risk of trying to do everything at once.
• Later steps help you select only a manageable set of goals.

6) Identify recurring themes (your brain’s “signals”)

• Look for what appears repeatedly across your answers.
• Highlight with different colors to track:
  • Which themes show up multiple times
  • Which areas likely deserve attention
• Repetition = strong indicator of importance and potential impact.

7) Select your actual goals using the EPIC framework

When choosing goals to work on, evaluate each goal as:

• E — Enjoyable
  • Enjoyable in the process and/or has an exciting payoff
• P — Practical
  • Feasible within your time frame (not impossible “billion dollars next week” style goals)
• I — Impactful
  • Meaningful positive effect on you and/or others
• C — Challenging
  • In a “stretch zone” (a bit outside comfort), not overwhelming or boring

8) Use time-frame realism (quarter vs year planning)

• For shorter windows (like a quarter), set reasonable sub-goals:
  • e.g., making progress like clarity, deposits, planning, bank meetings—not necessarily completion

9) Build goal-support systems (accountability + tracking)

• Accountability is highlighted as powerful for staying on track.
• If you track goals:
  • Choose analog vs digital based on what motivates you and how easy it is to update.
  • Digital can help with numbers/graphs; physical trackers can work as a “heads-up display.”

10) Self-kindness and non-judgmental reflection

• The process discourages “should-ing” and self-criticism.
• Even “silly” goals matter if they’re meaningful to you.
• Sharing is optional; participants are reminded not to disclose anything they aren’t comfortable with.

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Presenters or sources

• Presenter/Host: Jess (referred to as “Jess” throughout the workshop)
• Referenced programs/sources:
  • Epic Goals (host’s goal-setting system)
  • Change Your Life Goal Planning Workbook
  • Alex (mentioned as an example community member; not presented as a creator)
  • Epic Goals course / Epic Goals club / Epic Goals workalongs (mentioned as offerings)