Your Personal Goal Achievement Companion
CanGoal · Reading list
How to set goals
Goal-setting is one of those things everyone talks about and almost no one does well. We curated the best writing on the topic from leading researchers, coaches, and practitioners — read what fits where you are right now.
Braven
5 min
Creating a Vision: How to Set Goals & Achieve Them
Five repeatable steps — vision, SMART, commit, evaluate, reward — for translating any ambition into a workable plan.
- Start with a clear vision before any tactics
- SMART goals as a foundation
- Reward yourself for small wins
Atlassian
6 min
How to Write SMART Goals (with Examples)
Walk through every letter of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) with a worked example.
- Make goals specific, not abstract
- Add measurable benchmarks
- Anchor goals in a deadline
CAST UDL Guidelines
4 min
Set Meaningful Goals
Big enough to capture the vision, specific enough to be measurable. Articulating a goal unlocks the plan, the resources, and the feedback loop.
- Clarity unlocks action
- Use scaffolds and prompts
- Build feedback into the loop
Mark Manson
14 min
The Complete Guide to Goal Setting (Backed by Science)
How specific and general goals work together, why value-aligned goals matter, and why strategic failure is often more valuable than success.
- Balance specific & general goals
- Align goals with values
- Failure is feedback
Lucid
7 min
7 Steps to Creating Better Goals
A repeatable seven-step process — visualize, SMART, write, plan, timeline, act, evaluate — for any goal.
- Visualize the end result first
- Make a written plan
- Schedule weekly evaluations
NSLS
8 min
Goal-Setting Techniques and Strategies You Can Use Now
Two complementary frameworks — SMART and PACT — plus practical habits for actually following through.
- SMART for clarity
- PACT for long-term output
- Write every goal down
Notion
6 min
8 Steps to Goal Setting: Set Yourself Up for Success
An eight-step loop that converts aspiration into action — and keeps you motivated through the messy middle.
- Start from values & passion
- Build a written action plan
- Schedule regular reviews
BetterUp
12 min
How to Set Goals for Success and 8 Steps to Actually Achieve Them
A coach's playbook — visualize, SMART, write, plan, timeline, anticipate obstacles, find an accountability partner, reflect.
- Visualize success vividly
- Identify obstacles in advance
- Reflect and adjust
CU Boulder
7 min
8 Tips for Setting (and Achieving) Your Goals
Practical, student-friendly advice: start small, recruit support, remember your why, and make "FUN" goals (Flexible, Uplifting, Numberless).
- Start small & build confidence
- Recruit a support system
- Celebrate small successes
James Clear
15 min
Goal Setting: A Scientific Guide to Setting and Achieving Goals
Decades of research distilled: goals vs. systems, habit stacking, implementation intentions, designing your environment, and the magic of measurement.
- Goals vs. systems
- Habit stacking & implementation intentions
- Design your environment
James Clear (Companion)
4 min
The Habit of Setting Goals
A short companion piece on treating goal-setting itself as a practice — one goal at a time, a capped active list, and a weekly stacked review.
- Start with one goal
- Cap your active list
- Stack the weekly check-in
Putting it into practice
Then make it real in CanGoal.
Reading about goals is great. Setting them, breaking them into tasks, and tracking the days — that's where the work happens. Open CanGoal, tap the plus button, and turn the framework that resonated with you into your first goal.