The Three-and-Three Goal-Setting Review
Review the past, clarify your purpose, then map aspirations to actions
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 8
- Confidence
- 96%
The Three-and-Three Goal-Setting Review joins reflection with strategy. The first three questions nurture inspiration: identify what worked, determine what lessons came from what did not work, and decide what you want to do more of. The second three establish strategic direction: remember why you started, define the ultimate business goal that will tell you when you have succeeded, and clarify what you remain committed to creating. These answers establish the desired lifestyle, purpose, and destination. The framework then converts that direction into execution by dividing large goals into quarterly targets and working backward into realistic actions. Its core mechanism is alignment: past evidence informs future choices, purpose filters opportunities, success criteria make progress visible, and scheduled actions map aspirations to concrete behavior.
Origin
Jasmine Star combined her annual reflection practice with three purpose questions from Lewis Howes, then used quarterly breakdowns and backward planning to create her 2020 goals.
Core principles
- 01Repeat what demonstrably works
- 02Extract lessons instead of dwelling on losses
- 03Build goals around the life you want to experience
- 04Anchor business goals in purpose
- 05Define what success looks like before pursuing it
- 06Map every aspiration to realistic actions
How to run it
- 1
Identify What Worked
Review the previous period and list the activities, offers, or habits that produced positive results. Decide which successes deserve greater investment.
Pro tip Use concrete evidence rather than relying only on memory or emotion.
Watch out Do not reinvent functioning systems merely because they feel familiar.
- 2
Extract Lessons From What Did Not Work
Review disappointing results without dwelling on them. Identify what each loss, mistake, or weak launch teaches you to change.
Pro tip Phrase each finding as a lesson and a future adjustment.
Watch out Reflection becomes unproductive when it stops at blame or regret.
- 3
Choose What You Want More Of
Describe the experiences and activities you want to increase. Use these preferences to shape lifestyle and business goals that support fulfillment rather than burnout.
Pro tip Include desired feelings and life experiences alongside business metrics.
Watch out A preference remains abstract until it changes the calendar.
- 4
Reconnect With Why You Started
Recall the original motivation, excitement, or need that led you into the work. Use this purpose as a filter for future goals.
Pro tip Write the answer in language that still feels personally meaningful.
Watch out Do not preserve an outdated purpose solely because it was once true.
- 5
Define the Ultimate Goal
State the five- or ten-year result that would mean you have made it. Establish criteria that tell you when to pause, recognize progress, and celebrate.
Pro tip Include observable conditions rather than an endlessly moving standard.
Watch out Without a definition of enough, achievement can still feel like failure.
- 6
Clarify What You Will Keep Creating
Identify the work you could remain committed to for decades because it reflects both your ability and purpose. Protect it from goals driven only by external rewards.
Pro tip Look for the intersection of what you love, do well, and want to contribute.
Watch out Passion alone does not remove the need for realistic execution.
- 7
Set Quarterly Targets
Divide each major annual goal into results that can be achieved or assessed every three months. Use these milestones to expose whether the plan is progressing.
Pro tip Limit each quarter to a small number of consequential targets.
Watch out Too many simultaneous priorities dilute execution.
- 8
Map Actions to Aspirations
Work backward from each target and list realistic, achievable behaviors that can produce it. Place those behaviors into the schedule and execute them consistently.
Pro tip Prefer actions you control over outcomes dependent on other people.
Watch out Crossing your fingers is not an action plan.
In the wild
Jasmine wanted to spend more time with her family, but she recognized that stating the desire would not change her schedule. She translated it into three monthly actions: a sibling date, a family dinner, and lunch with her parents.
→ A broad lifestyle aspiration became a set of recurring, schedulable commitments.
A family photographer who wants three bookings per month can work backward into controllable actions: post daily, photograph a son's soccer game and contact parents, advertise in a PTA bulletin, and upload new Facebook images twice each week.
→ A booking target becomes a realistic lead-generation plan instead of a hope.
Common mistakes
Dwelling on What Failed
The useful output of a review is the lesson and resulting adjustment, not extended attention to the disappointment itself.
Leaving Lifestyle Goals Abstract
Saying you want more family time or fulfillment changes nothing unless it creates specific calendar commitments.
Moving the Definition of Success
Failing to define and celebrate meaningful milestones can produce burnout even while the business is progressing.
Is it for you?
Best for
Entrepreneurs conducting an annual or quarterly planning review who want both emotional clarity and practical execution.
Not ideal for
Short emergency decisions that require immediate action without a reflective planning cycle.
From the transcript
“The biggest takeaway I've learned in my years of business is to do more of what works, right?”
“When I am reflecting on 2019 I choose to harp on what I learned, not what didn't work.”
“Your actions must map your aspirations.”
From the episode
The Complete Guide to Goal-Setting In 2020