The Detour Problem: Why Goals Need Daily Driving
Forget goal-setting, try goal-reaching instead.
You're headed to Vancouver. Stating your final destination doesn't teach you how to navigate construction on the 401, or what to do when you miss your turn, or how to read the changing weather.
The destination matters, yes, but the skill is in the daily driving. The feedback comes from each mile, each decision, each small detour or course-correction.
Goals work the same way..
Tidying up
You're headed to Vancouver. Stating your final destination doesn't teach you how to navigate construction on the 401, or what to do when you miss your turn, or how to read the changing weather.
The destination matters, yes, but the skill is in the daily driving. The feedback comes from each mile, each decision, each small detour or course-correction.
Goals work the same way.
Why the Hope of Goals Makes Us Feel…So Bad
Now, let's get reflective. Grab a journal, a notes app, or even just talk these through with someone you trust. These three questions can illuminate what's been working, what hasn't, and what you truly want for the semester ahead:
1. What was one moment this term when learning felt good—when you felt capable, engaged, or even joyful?
This isn't about your best grade or biggest achievement. It's about a moment when the process of learning felt right. Maybe it was finally understanding a concept, a study session that wasn’t procrastinated or distracted, having a great discussion, a work session in flow, or feeling prepared for something. What conditions made that moment possible?
2. What's one pattern or habit from this past term that you're ready to release?
No judgment here. Maybe it's late-night cramming, skipping breakfast, avoiding office hours, or that voice in your head that says you're not good enough. Name it. Acknowledge it. And consider, what might you try differently to support a shift?
3. If you could describe your ideal learning experience next semester in three words, what would they be?
Examples: Calm, consistent, curious. Balanced, brave, supported. Rested, prepared, confident. Your three words become your compass, your touchstone for decisions and priorities in the months ahead.
Process Over Prize, Every Time
1. WOOP: Obstacle as Information
Maybe you’ve heard me or my learning strategist team teach about it, or read me glow about it in a past post, but WOOP is where it’s at! Instead of pretending obstacles don't exist, WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) is a deeply grounded strategy that helps people identify internal obstacles and create if-then plans.
What makes this powerful for learners:
It acknowledges reality: You will feel tired after work. You will get distracted. You will doubt yourself. These aren't character flaws; they're data points.
It works: WOOP increased study time amongst residents by nearly 3x compared to goal-setting alone. Students improved school attendance and achievement. Adults doubled physical activity.
The "if-then" plan automates your response: When the obstacle arrives (and it will), you’ve already planned and prepped what to do.
Here's how it works:
Wish: What do you want? (“I want to understand this course material.”)
Outcome: What will the result be? (“I'll feel confident going into the exam.”)
Obstacle: What internal obstacle will get in my way? (“I feel overwhelmed when I look at all the readings.”)
Plan: If [obstacle], then [specific action]. (“If I feel overwhelmed by the readings, then I will read just the introduction and conclusion of one article for 15 minutes.”)
Notice what happened there? The obstacle isn't the enemy. It's the signal that triggers your plan.
Example for students: "If I feel overwhelmed by this essay, then I will write just the introduction for 15 minutes."
Example for a parent helping a child: "If my kid says they 'can't' do their math homework, then I will ask them to show me one problem they can do first."
Example for educators and leaders: "If I start doubting whether I should speak up in the meeting, then I will write down my thoughts and read it through once before deciding whether or not to raise my voice."
2. PACT: What You Control, Not What You Hope
PACT (Purposeful, Actionable, Continuous, Trackable) focuses on inputs—what you actually do—rather than outcomes you can't control. You might recognize this acronym from Anne-Laure Le Cunff’s book, Tiny Experiments—she didn’t make it up, but describes it well.
PACT shifts the entire question.
Here's why this matters:
>> Inputs are your effort, your actions, your time—the controllable parts.
>> Outcomes are the grades, the promotion, the final result—the less controllable parts.
You can control whether you studied today. You can't fully control whether you get an A.
You can control whether you asked a question. You can't fully control whether the professor liked or responded well to your answer.
You can control whether you practised. You can't fully control whether you won.
The power of focusing on inputs is that you succeed every time you do the thing, regardless of the result. That's where agency lives. That's where the inadequacy feeling starts to lift.
Purposeful: Connected to deeper values, not just the grade. Why does this matter to you?
Actionable: What can you do today, not tomorrow. Not "understand statistics" but "work through three Stats practice problems."
Continuous: Small, repeatable actions. Back to that daily driving, not the grand arrival.
Trackable: Yes/no. Did you do it? Not "how well," just "did you."
Example for a student: Instead of "Get an A in biology" → "Review my lecture notes for 20 minutes every evening, yes/no."
Example for a professional: Instead of "Get promoted this year" → "Have one meaningful conversation per week where I share my work and ask for feedback, yes/no."
Example for a parent: Instead of "Help my kid succeed" → "Spend 10 minutes each day asking my child what they learned and what confused them, yes/no."
See the difference? The first version leaves you waiting to find out if you're good enough. The second version tells you every single day: you did the thing. You're moving.
3. The Power of If-Then Plans
Research shows implementation intentions (if-then plans) have a medium-to-large positive effect on goal achievement. But here's what makes them powerful for learning: these plans help to support automatic action initiation. When you encounter ____, then you do ____. In time, the behaviour happens without requiring effortful, conscious decision-making.
Here's why this matters:
Decision fatigue is real. The more you have to decide to study, or contemplate whether to do the assigned reading, the less likely you are to do it. Every time you think "Should I start now? Maybe after this video? Or maybe tonight?" you're draining the battery.
If-then plans bypass that entirely.
"If it's 7 p.m., then I open my notes."
"If I finish dinner, then I review one concept."
"If I sit down at my desk, then I write for 10 minutes."
The if cue does the work of remembering. Your brain doesn't have to decide. Instead, it has to follow the plan.
4. Approach vs. Avoidance: Frame Matters
Research by Andrew Elliot and Ken Sheldon shows that approach goals (moving toward something positive) are associated with greater satisfaction and progress than avoidance goals (moving away from something negative). Avoidance goals are linked to decreased self-esteem, less satisfaction with progress, and more negative feelings. They're also more likely to fuel procrastination.
Notice the difference:
Avoidance framing:
"Don't fail this exam"
"Avoid looking stupid"
"Stop procrastinating"
"Don't fall behind"
Approach framing:
"Understand these concepts"
"Contribute my perspective"
"Start with 10 minutes of work"
"Keep up with the weekly readings"
The avoidance versions are…exhausting. They're built on fear and deficit. Every day, you're running from something. The approach versions are generative. Every day, you're building toward something.
Same destination. Completely different drive.
The Feedback Loop You Build
Goals aren't the problem. The problem is thinking the destination does the work.
What actually works:
Name the wish, but plan for the obstacle. Don't pretend the road is smooth. Know where your car might stall, and plan for it.
Focus on inputs (what you do), not just outcomes (what you get). You can't control the result, but you can control the work. That's where your power is.
Build if-then plans that automate the hard parts. Decision fatigue is real. Let the cue trigger the action so your brain can save its energy for the learning itself.
Frame toward what you want, not away from what you fear. Move toward understanding, not away from failure. It changes everything.
Track the daily driving, not just the arrival. Each day you show up is feedback. You're learning how to do this. You're getting better at the drive.
The journey isn't a cliché. It's literally where the learning happens. Each day you drive, you're gathering the feedback that makes you better at driving. You're noticing what works. You're adjusting when things don't. You're building the skill that will take you to the next destination, and the one after that.
The goal is still there. But you're not waiting for it to save you. You're doing the work that gets you there, one input at a time.
One Thing to Try This Week
Pick one goal that's making you feel inadequate. WOOP it:
Wish: What do you want?
Outcome: What's the best result?
Obstacle: What internal obstacle will get in your way?
Plan: If [obstacle], then [specific action].
Then track one thing: did you execute the plan when the obstacle showed up? Yes or no. That's it.
The destination will still be there. But you'll be getting better at the drive.
