Why You Need to Reality-Check Your Goals (And How to Actually Do It)

For example, “run a marathon in two to three years” might be perfectly achievable for someone who just started running. But “qualify for the Olympic trials in six months”? Not so much.

In this article, we’ll break down why setting achievable goals matters and how to figure out whether your goal is actually within reach.

• Why Reality-Checking Your Goals Matters
• How to Reality-Check Your Goals
• Should You Abandon Unrealistic Goals?

Why Reality-Checking Your Goals Matters 

Let’s start with why achievability matters in the first place. Meet Tyler, a junior developer who just landed his first tech job. Riding high on new-job energy, he sets these goals for his first six months:

In six months? Sounds ambitious. Now let’s think about what could go wrong for Tyler.

Within the first couple months, he’ll probably realize that making team lead is about as likely as a penguin making it to the equator. Trying to learn too many languages too fast will leave him with surface-level knowledge (hello world, anyone?), and unrealistic salary expectations will lead to disappointment. The result? Tyler might lose all motivation and start doubting his abilities.

And that’s not even the worst-case scenario. Sometimes an unrealistic goal can cost you years of your life or drain your bank account. Quitting your job to join a multi-level marketing scheme, dumping your savings into a sketchy startup, or dropping out of school to chase influencer fame—these things happen more often than you’d think.

But let’s go back to Tyler. Imagine he reconsidered and set more realistic goals instead:

These goals let Tyler grow steadily, get satisfaction from hitting milestones, and build a sustainable career.

Plus, realistic goal-setting helps him maintain healthy self-esteem, and each goal he hits will motivate him to keep going.

How to Reality-Check Your Goals 

Now that we’ve covered why you need to assess whether a goal is achievable, let’s talk about how to actually do it. Below are simple time management techniques that help you look at your goal from different angles.

1. Resource Analysis 

Think about what resources you’ll need to hit your goal and whether you actually have them. Resources include time, money, energy, skills, connections, people, equipment, and so on. For example:

A quick analysis like this helps you figure out what you already have, what you can acquire, and what’s simply out of reach (hey, it happens).

2. Time Analysis 

Estimate the time you’ll need to achieve the goal. You need to evaluate not just the total time required, but also your available daily time. Examples:

Many goals are unrealistic purely because of the time factor. For instance, in theory any good programmer could single-handedly write an operating system like Windows or a program like Photoshop. In practice, it would take them several hundred—maybe even thousands—of years.

3. Competency Assessment 

To determine if a goal is achievable, you need to honestly evaluate your current knowledge, skills, and experience. Think about what’s required to hit the goal and what you’re currently missing. Examples:

4. Expert Consultation 

Sometimes it’s hard for us to objectively assess our own goals and capabilities. In these situations, it helps to talk with people who’ve already achieved similar goals or who know the field well. An expert can point out pitfalls you didn’t see coming and give you valuable advice on reaching your goal. Examples:

Beyond using these techniques, it’s useful to examine your goals using popular critical thinking frameworks: SWOT analysis, the Cartesian square, Six Thinking Hats, etc. The more thoroughly you investigate your goal, the easier it’ll be to make a decision about it. And if you do decide the goal is achievable, all this information will come in handy when you’re building your plan.

Should You Abandon Unrealistic Goals? 

Sometimes it really is better to just let go of an unrealistic goal—it’ll save you time and resources for more practical objectives. But in most cases, you can easily transform an unrealistic goal into an achievable one. All you need to do is adjust the timeline or expected results. For example:

“Modest” goals aren’t a life sentence. Once you achieve them, you can always plan more ambitious results.