Let’s not pretend. You’re busy. Your calendar is stuffed. You’re mentally juggling 47 browser tabs worth of tasks, responsibilities, and decisions.

And in the middle of it all… you still want to move forward. You still want clarity. You want progress that means something.

Good. That’s where this comes in. These 7 goal-setting steps are designed for people like you—overcommitted, high-capacity humans who don’t have time for 90-minute vision board rituals.

This is your no-fluff, “do this now” framework to lock in clarity that sticks.

1. Say What You Do Want

Not “I want to stop procrastinating.”
Try: “I finish my top priority task before 10 a.m. each day.”

Your brain can’t aim at a negative. Frame it forward. Frame it active. Frame it so clearly that even your burned-out self at 6 a.m. would get it.

2. Make Sure You Control It

No goals that hinge on your boss being less annoying or your partner suddenly becoming a motivational speaker.

If you can’t own the outcome, it’s not a goal—it’s a hope. Make your version something you can initiate, repeat, and course-correct without waiting on anyone else.

3. Make It Tangible (and Sensory)

You need to see it, feel it, hear it in your head. Where are you when the goal is done? What are you doing? What are people saying?

If it’s vague, it’s friction. If it’s vivid, it’s fuel.

Try this: Close your eyes and imagine the exact moment you know it’s real. Get granular. Then go build that.

4. Add a “Where + When”

This step is where 90% of people fall off. A goal with no context is just a wish.

Where will you be when it happens? What’s the timeline? Even if you’re flexible, lock in an anchor. Anchors keep you from drifting.

5. Check for Life Collision

Before you sprint toward this goal, ask:
What does it break if I go all-in?

• Will this wreck your sleep?
• Sabotage your marriage?
• Destroy your margin?

Run a quick audit on your relationships, health, finances, and sanity. If it costs too much in one area, pause. Adjust. You’re playing the long game here.

6. Identify the Real Cost

You can’t afford every goal. Not in money—but in energy, time, headspace.

What will you have to give up to pull this off?
→ 30 minutes of TV?
→ One social night a week?
→ Two hours of overthinking?

Say the trade-off out loud. If you can’t name it, it’ll blindside you later.

7. Gut-Check the Why

Final question: Does this actually matter to you—or is it someone else’s script?

If your answer is, “Because I should…”—stop. Set a new goal that’s tied to your real values, your mission, or something that actually fires you up.

Otherwise? You’ll burn out chasing something you never wanted in the first place.

Fast Recap: The Sterling 7-Step Goal Lock-In

1. State it in the positive (What you want, not what you’re avoiding.)
2. Own it (It’s yours to start, maintain, and complete.)
3. Make it vivid (Your brain loves clarity.)
4. Add where/when (Anchor it in time and space.)
5. Run a balance check (Don’t break your life to win one thing.)
6. Count the cost (What will you have to give up?)
7. Align the why (If it’s not yours, it won’t last.)

Clarity Is a Leadership Move

When everything’s on fire, clarity feels like a luxury. But here’s the truth: it’s oxygen. Without it, you’re reacting. With it, you’re leading.

You don’t need 20 goals. You need one that’s clear, aligned, and built to move. This framework gets you there. Fast.