v0.6 Bridge Goals
In 2017, I decided I wanted to become a software engineer. So, I bought a new MacBook and a copy of Learn Python the Hard Way. I was excited about my new career, but my motivation evaporated a few weeks later. I felt like a failure and wondered if software engineering wasn’t for me.
Does this sound familiar?
I was stuck in an infinite loop repeating this cycle of excitement, burnout, and giving up. Over the years, I racked up quite a few of these false starts. Many career switchers in tech have similar stories. Most people don’t learn to code or achieve a major meta-goal on their first attempt.
Why? Because our meta-goals are just too big to sustain us. Becoming a competent software engineer from scratch requires more than a few weeks of focused effort. I’ve learned that goal decomposition is the missing piece, breaking our meta-goals into smaller, actionable steps we can achieve over time.
In the last edition, we talked about wayfinding – the practice of figuring out where we are and where we want to go. Now it’s time to take action. In this edition, we’ll break down our North Star, our guiding meta-goal, into smaller manageable bridge goals that will propel us along our path.
❌ 404 Progress Not Found
On that first attempt in 2017 to learn to code, I focused entirely on the destination, not the process. I’d write “learn to code” on my to-do list every morning. And every night, it remained incomplete. Despite my efforts, I felt like I wasn’t making any progress. So, I fell to frustration, and ultimately, I’d give up, and the cycle would begin again.
My approach slowly changed. I learned that progress is easier when you build systems and habits that support you. The habits we develop and the goals we set matter as much as the effort we put in.
If you have a guiding meta-goal, let’s make it achievable. By breaking it down into manageable parts, you can avoid the frustration, start making real progress, and feel less overwhelmed.
✅ Goal Decomposition
Meta-Goals are our big, potentially life-changing aspirations. They’re often so massive that it’s hard to see any progress towards them, which leads to frustration and burnout. That’s where bridge goals come in. Bridge goals are intermediate, actionable objectives along the path to our meta-goal. They connect our daily habits to our larger ambitions. Think of them as critical milestones along the path to your meta-goal.
Unlike meta-goals, which encourage you to think big, bridge goals should adhere to the popular SMART goal framework. This ensures they are actionable and achievable rather than overwhelming:
1. Specific – Your bridge goal should be a single well-defined step toward your meta-goal. It should target a specific area of improvement.
2. Measurable – If completion is ambiguous, it’s likely a meta-goal in disguise.
3. Achievable – Set goals that are realistic for your time constraints. If it requires hope or a prayer, it’s not achievable.
4. Relevant – The goal must directly align with your meta-goal, a definite but small step on the path.
5. Time-bound – Specify a realistic timeframe for completion, for example, “Complete Week One of CS50 by the end of March 2025”
Goal Decomposition in Action
Meta-goals are our big ambitions and take months, years, or decades to accomplish. In contrast, bridge goals should be finite and manageable, typically spanning no more than a few months. If a bridge goal feels too large, break it into smaller stages. A well-defined bridge goal gives you a sense of progress and momentum. When they are too large, it defeats the purpose.
| Level | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 🏔️ Meta-goal | Long-term aspiration | "Get my first job as a software engineer." |
| 🌉 Bridge Goal | Measurable milestone leading to a meta-goal | “Complete Data Structures and Algorithms course by March 31st, 2025.” |
| 🔄 Systems + Habits | Consistent routines and actions | “Attempt one LeetCode-style question per day and review the solution.” |
Breaking big goals into actionable bridge goals can be difficult at first. Let’s troubleshoot a few common goal-setting challenges.
🐛 Bug Fixes: Goal-setting
Setting the right goals is hard, but it's worth the effort. Here are a few common bugs in goal-setting:
- Bug: My meta-goal feels too big.
Fix: Break it down. Smaller goals are easier to accomplish. Start with just one bridge goal, for example, “Complete [section] of CS50 by [date].” Build momentum slowly.
- Bug: I don’t know what my bridge goals should be.
Fix: Work backwards. If you want to be a software engineer, identify key milestones like:- learning a programming language
- building a project
- preparing for interviews
These milestones can serve as the foundation of your bridge goals.
- Bug: I have too many meta-goals.
Fix: Prioritize. When we have too many goals, we tend not to make much progress on any of them. Reflect on your meta-goals and decide what you want to focus on now. Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to sort your goals by urgency and importance.
"You can do anything, but not everything"
– David Allen
📄 Relevant Docs
- 📚 Atomic Habits – For good reason, James Clear’s book is a bestseller. Dive deeper into goal achievement through habit formation.
- 📚 Measure What Matters by John Doerr – An in depth resource on goal decomposition through the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) framework, popularized by Google and other industry leading organizations.
- 📺 Why the secret to success is setting the right goals – John Doerr’s TED talk explains why the right goals—and OKRs—are crucial to success.
📝 Final Notes
If your meta-goal feels big, that’s great! Having big goals and aspirations is essential to growth. However, relying on meta-goals and willpower alone to sustain our forward progress is futile. Bridge goals give us tangible milestones on the path to our larger meta-goals. They can be a crucial source of motivation and momentum when implemented well.
In the next edition, we’ll break down our bridge goals even further to harness the power of small, consistent habits that, once formed, will make accomplishing them nearly automatic.
Cheers,
Ian