In this article, we’ll break down why setting relevant goals is so important — and how to tell whether a goal is actually relevant to your life.
Why Relevant Goals Matter
What does a “relevant goal” look like in practice? Let’s walk through an example. Sarah, a young professional, made a list of goals for the year. Here are a few of them:
On the surface, these goals look pretty solid. But let’s dig a little deeper. Here are a few things about Sarah:
- She’s never been into sports and has no real interest in running.
- She has no plans to travel to Japan and isn’t particularly drawn to Japanese culture.
- The guitar was a gift from her parents — she never actually asked for one.
- The “read 100 books” goal came from one of those hustle-culture posts about what “successful people” do every day.
So what’s going to happen? Sarah will start running but quit pretty quickly. Japanese will be a struggle because there’s no real motivation to use it. The guitar will collect dust in the corner, making her feel guilty. And reading will turn into a tedious chore — a race for quantity over quality.
Now imagine Sarah takes a step back and rewrites her list:
These goals are fully aligned with Sarah’s actual needs right now. They connect to her career growth, her financial plans, and her mental well-being.
This approach avoids all the problems from the first example. Sarah will feel motivated to work on these goals because she can see how they directly impact her life. She won’t waste energy on things that don’t matter — instead, she’ll channel it into what does.
On top of that, relevant goals help Sarah avoid procrastination and self-sabotage. When a goal genuinely matters to you, you’re far more likely to find the time and energy to follow through.
How to Test a Goal for Relevance
How do you know if your goals are actually relevant? Here are a few simple but powerful techniques:
1. The Values Table
Grab a piece of paper or open a spreadsheet and create two columns. In the first column, list your goals. In the second, write down the values and long-term life goals each one connects to. For example:
| Goal | Values + long-term goals |
|---|---|
| Get a data analytics certification | Career growth, higher income, work at a top tech company |
| Buy a new smartphone | ??? |
| Start working out regularly | Health, energy, confidence |
If you can’t fill in the second column for a particular goal, it’s probably not that relevant to your life right now.
2. The “What For?” Drill
Keep asking yourself “what for?” or “why?” until you get to your real motivation. For example:
If the chain breaks after just one or two questions, that goal might not be important to you.
3. Consequence Analysis
Think about how achieving the goal would actually change your life. For example:
| Goal | Consequences |
|---|---|
| Start meditating | Less stress, better focus, improved sleep |
| Learn calligraphy | ??? |
4. Emotional Check-In
Picture yourself having already achieved the goal. How does it feel? For example:
| Goal | Feelings |
|---|---|
| Launch my own business | Pride, excitement, sense of responsibility, drive to keep growing |
| Learn Esperanto | ??? |
If achieving a goal doesn’t spark any real emotional response, it’s worth questioning whether it’s actually relevant.
One Last Thing
Relevance checks aren’t just for big goals — they matter for everyday tasks, too. Before diving into something, ask yourself: does this actually matter right now? Do you really need to leave a comment on that article you just read? Sit through a pointless meeting? Organize your garage or sort through that overflowing photo library?
By regularly checking whether your goals and tasks are still relevant, you stay focused on what genuinely improves your life — and stop wasting time on things that don’t move the needle.
