Why you should consider "trade-offs" when setting goals

Goal setting is a pillar of life, but setting too many without thinking them through can create conflicts.

Unfortunately, many of us fall into the trap of treating different areas of life—career, health, relationships, leisure—as separate worlds. In doing so, we fail to see how deeply they are connected, and we end up pursuing goals that unknowingly compete against one another.

For example, when looking for a job to pay for your travel expenses, it would be wise to account for factors like vacation policies. Because the last thing you want as a travel-junkie is to work a job that takes away all your free time to actually travel.

Or if you want to start going to the gym, it's smart to block out a specific time during the day that doesn’t interfere with the other parts of your life. Speaking from experience, one thing I find frustrating is when I have to squeeze in a late-night workout because school or work eats up my entire day. Causing me to end up going to bed way later than I should.

That is why it’s important to consciously evaluate how each goal you set affects all dimensions of your life and overall health.

Before adding a new goal to your life, ask yourself:

• What other priorities might this displace?

• What resources—time, energy, attention—will this require?

• Is this trade-off aligned with my deeper values.

This is the 25th installment in my project of publishing a mini essay every day to achieve 100 public pieces. Check out the full list here, and the previous letter here.

If you liked this post, I’m sharing more unfiltered lessons as a 17-year-old trying to figure this whole life thing out — check my other socials here🫡.