A Practical Guide to Actually Achieving Your Goals
If you’ve worked through the RetirePlan Lifestyle Goal Planner, you will have an ‘Action Plan’ (goals you work on now) and a ‘Vision Board’ (goals to work on longer term). That’s a great start - you’ve thought about ‘what’ you want to achieve, but have you thought about the ‘how’? To actually achieve your goals you need more than a dream - you need a system to help you deliver.
In this article, we present a synthesis of the methods proposed by the leading writers in this field giving you a practical system you can apply to your goals - starting with progress now, not planned for some future, ever-changing date.
If your dream is to move to Spain, get an MBA, or launch a side business that actually pays the mortgage, you need a practical, actionable plan and a system to deliver it.
The gap between those who dream and those who "do" is bridged by three specific pillars: The Why (The North Star), The Mindset (The Engine), and The System (The Tracks).
1. Start with Why: The North Star
Before you build a system, you need to know why you are building it. Simon Sinek (Start With Why) emphasises that performance is rooted in purpose. Without a "Why," you lack the emotional stamina to endure the "Black Box" of failure.
- The Concept: Your "Why" isn't a vague wish; it’s your anchor. It transforms a chore (studying) into a milestone (career freedom).
- The Practical Application: Use the "5 Whys" for your big goal. If you want to live abroad, ask why. If the answer is "to see the world," ask why again. Eventually, you’ll hit a core driver—like "providing a global perspective for my children" - and that provides the grit to handle the tax planning and the visa paperwork.
2. The Mindset: Growth & Marginal Gains
Once the "Why" is set, Matthew Syed (Black Box Thinking) argues that success depends on your relationship with failure. To achieve a major life goal, you must adopt Marginal Gains.
- The Principle: You don’t need a 100% improvement in one day. You need a 1% improvement in 100 different areas.
- The Black Box: In aviation, every incident is analysed to make the next flight safer. If your side business pitch fails, don't take it personally. Use it as a data point to iterate for tomorrow.
3. The "How": Systems Over Goals
James Clear (Atomic Habits) famously says, "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." If you want an MBA, "getting the degree" is the goal, but "studying for 45 minutes at 6:00 AM" is the system.
The Habit Stack for High-Stakes Goals
To make a massive life change actionable now, "stack" it onto your existing life:
- Business Goal: "After I close my work laptop, I will spend 20 minutes researching my niche."
- Living Abroad: "While I eat my breakfast, I will complete one Duolingo lesson."
4. High-Impact Goals: From Dream to Action
Here is how to break down "Big" life goals into immediate, present-ready actions.
5. The Retirement Connection: Reverse Engineering
An important factor in retirement is Financial Independence. To ensure your current goals feed your future, try using Inverse Thinking:
- Imagine yourself in retirement. What do you regret not doing?
- If the answer is "I wish I’d started that business," then the risk of starting it now is lower than the risk of regret later.
- The Rule of 72: A useful ancient mental hack, this gives a quick snapshot of future value. An extra £500/month from a side business, invested at an 8% return, will double every 9 years (72 / 8 = 9). That side hustle isn't just "extra cash"; it’s a retirement accelerator.
6. The Practicality Check
- Audit your Environment: James Clear teaches that environment design beats willpower. If you want to study, remove the TV remote from your sightline.
- Check your Velocity, Not Just Speed: Speed is how fast you’re moving; velocity is speed in the direction of your "Why."
"Failure is just a data point. The only real failure is the refusal to analyse the data." - Inspired by Matthew Syed
Final Thoughts
To build a life that survives the "dreaming" stage and becomes your reality, you must align three distinct forces.
Your Why (Sinek) is the spark that gets you started. Without it, you’ll stall at the first sign of a visa hurdle or a business setback.
Your Mindset (Syed) is the engine—it’s the "Black Box" that processes every failure as high-octane data, ensuring that a "no" today becomes a "yes" tomorrow through marginal gains.
Finally, your Systems (Clear) are the tracks. They remove the need for willpower by making your progress inevitable through environment design and habit stacking.
So achieving your goals isn't just about working harder; it’s about working smarter. Whether you are aiming for a qualification, a move to the sun, or a side business that funds your retirement, remember: Purpose gives you the spark, Mindset keeps you moving, and Systems ensure you arrive.
Stop dreaming about the "What." Define your Why and refine your How.
Your future self is watching - give them a story worth telling.
The Goal Stress Test: 5 Validation Questions
Before you commit to your Action Plan, put your goal through this "Black Box" audit:
- The "Third Why" Check: Looking at your goal, if you ask "Why?" three times, do you land on a core value (Family, Freedom, Mastery) or just a superficial desire (Money, Status)?
- If it’s not a core value, you’ll lack the "grit" Syed describes when things get tough.
- If it’s not a core value, you’ll lack the "grit" Syed describes when things get tough.
- The "Inconvenience" Test: Are you willing to endure the most boring or frustrating part of the process?
- If you want the MBA, do you actually want to study at 6:00 AM? If you want the side business, do you want to handle the tax planning?
- If you want the MBA, do you actually want to study at 6:00 AM? If you want the side business, do you want to handle the tax planning?
- The "Environment" Audit: If I walked into your home today, would I see "Tracks" (Clear) laid down for this goal?
- Is the textbook on the pillow? Is the TV remote hidden? Your environment should be the silent architect of your success.
- Is the textbook on the pillow? Is the TV remote hidden? Your environment should be the silent architect of your success.
- The "Black Box" Readiness: What is the most likely reason you will fail in the next 30 days?
- Identifying the "crash" before it happens allows you to build the safety system now.
- Identifying the "crash" before it happens allows you to build the safety system now.
- The "Rule of 72" Impact: Does this goal actually move the needle for your future self?
- Calculate the velocity. Does this action today compound into a story worth telling in retirement?