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It’s helpful to have a personal OKR goal session mid-year. Synchronize with yourself. Formulating personal OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) is a powerful method for achieving personal and professional goals. I recommend taking it up if you haven’t tried it yet, and returning to it – if you did, but abandoned it.
However, on the way to their successful application, just like in business or company OKRs, you may encounter a number of pitfalls. They are not as obvious as they seem. By the way, in the channel chat I’m posting the form that I use myself, with my own comments.
The main mistake, in my opinion, is setting too simple goals. Personal OKRs should motivate significant effort. An ambitious goal that seems even unrealistic at first may look quite achievable over time. By setting such a goal, you begin to subconsciously work through it, often make micro-decisions based on it, and over time you discover that, without noticing it, you have made great progress towards achieving it.
The second important aspect is the lack of specification of key results. Key results must be clear and measurable so that it can be clearly determined whether the goal has been achieved or not. It is ideal to set and track quantitative goals. If quantitative results are not obtained, then there must be precise measurability of completion on time (whether the goal was achieved or not).
For example, instead of using a vague “become fitter”, it is better to use a specific indicator such as “lose weight by 5 kg in three months” or “run 5 km in 25 minutes.”
Accordingly, by setting ambitious and overly ambitious, but measurable goals, you begin to decompose them into stages and quantitative steps, which can then be divided even into daily goals.
The third mistake is lack of flexibility. Personal OKRs must be adaptive to accommodate changing circumstances and priorities. Sticking rigidly to the original plan can lead to burnout and missed opportunities. It is important to periodically review your goals and adjust them if necessary. I would recommend looking at your goals monthly – enough time passes to draw conclusions about progress, but not often enough to forget about them.
Another pitfall is the lack of connection between personal OKRs and long-term goals. Personal OKRs should reflect your long-term priorities and ambitions to ensure they are meaningful and motivating. If OKRs are isolated from your overall strategy, they can lead to disorientation and lack of progress.
Building a career and making money on FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early – early retirement and/or independence from employment income) is an intermediate goal. You need to plan your goals after early retirement, and link your current goals to them. In addition, if you are planning to go around the world on a yacht in early retirement, then it would be a good idea to start preparing for this many years in advance – learn how to operate a boat, take first aid courses, develop a route, stay in shape, etc.
It’s also worth remembering the importance of regular review and feedback. Monthly (or quarterly, if once a month is too often for you) reviews help you evaluate progress and make necessary adjustments. Without constant monitoring, personal OKRs can become just a formality that does not bring real value.
For example, as I already noted, I find it convenient to review OKRs monthly and report progress quarterly or semi-annually, depending on the circumstances.
Another critical mistake is creating too many OKRs. Too many goals can scatter your attention and resources. It’s better to focus on a few key priorities that really matter to your personal and professional growth.
It is important to avoid formulating goals in a negative way. Instead of “stop spending a lot of time on social networks,” it is better to formulate the goal positively, for example, “spend 2 hours every evening reading books.”
The success of personal OKRs depends on the ability to clearly articulate your goals, remain flexible, and tie them to your long-term aspirations. By avoiding these pitfalls, you can greatly improve your chances of achieving meaningful and lasting results.
But the main thing is to set goals that are really important to you, and not just what someone expects from you (wife, parents, etc.). Personal OKRs are your dreams, not someone else’s.