Help Docs/Goal Planner
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Goal Planner

Turn an ambitious outcome into a clear, realistic plan. Goal Planner defines your objective, timeline, and daily effort, then generates steps that match your current ability and constraints.

What you will achieve

  • Define a specific goal with a measurable outcome.
  • Set a timeline and daily time commitment that is realistic.
  • Generate a step-by-step plan you can execute.
  • Refine the plan until it matches your real life.

Before you start

  • Know your start date and your daily commitment (hours or minutes).
  • Capture any constraints (schedule, tools, experience level).

Step-by-step

  1. Choose a planner mode: Use the Manual Form for full control. If the AI planner is available on your account, you can switch to it for guided setup.
  2. Define the goal: Enter a clear outcome, timeline, daily commitment using hours and minutes, and a daily start time. The plan completion indicator should reach 100%.
  3. Follow the starter prompt: The “Start by adding your goal” hint disappears as soon as you begin filling any field, so focus on completing the form steps.
  4. Add optional context: Open Add optional context to include location, skill level, progress, and constraints so the plan starts where you actually are.
  5. Run a goal quality check: Keep Run goal quality check enabled to validate clarity before you create the plan. The check also considers optional context like location and current experience when you provide it. Use the Check goal button in the form, and review checker feedback in the right-side workspace panel.
  6. Completion locks steps: When a step is finished it is shown with a strike-through and can’t be run again until you refresh the page.
  7. Create a Goal Standards Reference (optional): Turn on the reference option to generate a high-standard success definition, numeric measurement signals, priority skills, exemplars to model, constraints, and Goodhart safeguards. Warnings will appear but will not block creation.
  8. Reference status updates: While the reference is generating, a status card shows progress messaging about every 7 seconds until the report streams in, and the page scrolls to keep the live status visible.
  9. Mobile reference view: On mobile, the live reference draft expands with the full response instead of scrolling inside a fixed height panel.
  10. Mobile create timing: If you create a reference, the Create button in the form appears about 30 seconds after the reference is parsed so you have time to review the report.
  11. Reference locks the form: Once reference generation starts, the form fields lock so the plan can be prepared in the background. Your Create action uses the precomputed result.
  12. Create from the reference report: When the reference report finishes, a centered Create button appears under it. It runs the same action as the main Create button.
  13. When you start a new goal: As soon as you run a goal check, create a reference, or submit the form, the previous goal steps are hidden to keep your focus on the new plan. Refresh the page to view the older steps again until the new plan is created.
  14. Review the steps: The plan should total your full timeline. Edit step order and add new ones as needed.
  15. Completed work is locked: Completed high-level steps are immutable. If you rewrite an incomplete high-level step, incomplete child action steps and todos are removed while completed child work is preserved as history.
  16. Resource starter pack: After the steps render, a short list of books, programs, and local resources appears under the timeline. Use these to learn more while you execute the plan.
  17. Immediate first action: After the steps appear, Goaliath may quietly generate the first action-step and a single to-do after you engage the goal. A modal will recommend the first task across the dashboard once you are not in the middle of another AI request; choose Start now to open it or Not now to dismiss the prompt for this goal.
  18. Stored rationale at every layer: New goals, goal steps, action steps, and to-dos now save a short why-this-matters rationale automatically so Focus can show context without extra setup.
  19. Engage the goal: Use the Engagement control above the timeline to sync reminders and dashboards. The info icon explains exactly what engagement turns on.
  20. Save and execute: Save the goal, then use Goals andToday's Actions to run the plan each day.

AI Goal Planner notes (if enabled)

  • Expect follow-up questions to sharpen vague goals (for example, "get fit").
  • The plan can include more than ten steps when that creates a better progression.
  • Summaries highlight timeline coverage and invite quick revisions.

Best practices

  • Anchor the goal to a personal why for durable motivation.
  • Prefer measurable outcomes with observable checkpoints.
  • Keep daily commitment sustainable so the plan holds over time.

Why this works

  • PCT (control loop): A specific goal plus feedback reduces error between current state and desired state.
  • Goal-Setting Theory: Planning builds capability (clarity) and opportunity (time), which supports motivation.
  • Self-determination theory: You stay in control of the plan, supporting autonomy and competence.

If something feels off

  • Plan feels too big? Shorten the timeline or reduce daily commitment.
  • Steps feel generic? Add more detail in Add optional context.
  • Goal creation blocked by validation? Make sure your goal includes a measurable target, plus a timeline and daily commitment, then re-run the quality check.
  • AI answers feel off? Switch to Manual Form and enter your own plan.

Related help

Screenshots

Goal planner and step generation
Goal planning and generated step structure in desktop view.