Don’t plan, set, or create goals.

Manage them.

My writing on goals emphasizes goal management instead of the usual: goal planning, goal setting, etc. This is more than just a linguistic or SEO choice.

Here’s why:

You plan a birthday party, then it happens.

You set a doctor’s appointment, then it happens.

But goals are different beasts: They take on different forms. They change entirely. They are dropped in favor of other, more important goals. They become moot, null, etc. And we rarely pursue one at a time; our lives are too complicated for that. They overlap and compete and a million other things.

In short: they must be managed. Goals are more like finances and lawns than birthday parties and doctor’s appointments.