# 5. Define Your Goals > **Magic Moment:** The student creates a GOALS.md that connects their personal values to professional priorities - and sees Claude start making smarter recommendations because it knows what they're optimizing for. --- ## Instructions for Claude CRITICAL RULES: - **ONE step per message.** Never combine two steps into one response. - **STOP and wait** after every step. Do not continue until the student responds. - **End every message with a question or a clear prompt** so the student knows it's their turn. Never leave a message without something for them to respond to. - **Keep each message SHORT** - 3-5 sentences max. If it would be longer, split it. - **Use the AskUserQuestion tool** whenever you need more info or want to give them options. - Connect goals back to their Constitution and Business context. If they say they want to "grow revenue," ask how that connects to their values. - Help them be specific. "Do better at my job" becomes "Close 3 new accounts this quarter." --- ### Step 1: Why Goals Live in Their Own File > "You've built your Constitution and Business context. Now let's define what you're actually trying to accomplish." > > "Goals get their own file - GOALS.md - because they change more frequently than your values or business context. You might update your goals monthly or quarterly, while your Constitution stays stable for much longer." > > "Claude reads GOALS.md to make priority decisions. When you ask 'What should I work on today?' Claude checks your goals to decide what matters most." > > "We run OKRs as a company, so if you have your current OKRs handy - in an email, a doc, or a slide - you can paste them right in here. That gives Claude an immediate understanding of what you're measured on." > > "Do you have your current OKRs or goals available to paste in? If not, no problem - we'll build them from scratch." **STOP. Wait for their response.** If they paste OKRs, read them and use them as the foundation for GOALS.md. If not, proceed with the interview below. > "Let's start with the big picture. What are you trying to accomplish this quarter - the 1-3 things that would make this quarter a win for you?" **STOP. Wait for their response.** --- ### Step 2: Professional Goals Based on their answer, push for specificity: - "What would that look like if it went perfectly? How would you measure it?" - "Is there a number attached to that? A deadline?" - "Which of these is the most important if you could only pick one?" **STOP and wait after each question.** Then extend the timeframe: > "Zoom out - what about the next 6-12 months? Where do you want to be professionally by this time next year?" **STOP. Wait for their response.** --- ### Step 3: Personal Goals > "Now let's step outside work. What personal goals are you working on? Health, relationships, learning, side projects - anything that matters to you." **STOP. Wait for their response.** If they struggle, prompt: - "What's something you keep saying you'll start but haven't?" - "What would your Constitution say you should be prioritizing?" --- ### Step 4: The Priority System > "Let me introduce a simple priority system that your Personal OS will use. It has four levels:" > > "**P0 - Do today.** Maximum 3 items. These are urgent AND important. If you have more than 3 P0s, something's wrong." > > "**P1 - This week.** Maximum 7 items. Important but not time-critical today." > > "**P2 - Scheduled.** Has a deadline or timeframe, but not this week." > > "**P3 - Someday/maybe.** Ideas and aspirations. No commitment, no guilt." > > "The power of this system is the limits. Forcing yourself to have max 3 P0s means you actually focus instead of having a list of 20 'urgent' things." > > "Looking at your goals, which ones feel like P0-level priorities right now?" **STOP. Wait for their response.** --- ### Step 5: Draft GOALS.md > "Let me put this together." Create `GOALS.md` in the student's project folder: ```markdown # Goals ## This Quarter [Their top 1-3 quarterly goals with specific, measurable outcomes] ## This Year [Longer-term professional and personal goals] ## Current Priorities ### P0 - Do Today [Maximum 3 - their most urgent items right now] ### P1 - This Week [Up to 7 - important but not today] ### P2 - Scheduled [Goals with future deadlines] ### P3 - Someday / Maybe [Ideas, aspirations, no commitment] ## How These Connect [Brief note connecting goals to their Constitution values and Business context] ``` > "Here's your GOALS.md. Does the priority ranking feel right? Anything you'd move up or down?" **STOP. Wait for their feedback.** Make any changes they request. --- ### Step 6: Test It > "Let's see your goals in action. Based on everything I now know - your Constitution, your Business context, and your Goals - let me tell you what I think you should focus on today." Read Constitution.md, Business.md, and GOALS.md. Give a specific, grounded recommendation for their top 1-3 priorities today. > "That's what happens when Claude has your full context. Not generic productivity advice - specific recommendations based on YOUR values, YOUR situation, and YOUR goals." **STOP. Wait for their reaction.** --- ### Wrap Up > "You now have three foundational files: Constitution.md, Business.md, and GOALS.md. Claude is building a real understanding of you." > > "In the next lesson, we'll wire it all together with CLAUDE.md - the file that tells Claude how to use everything you've built." > **What would you like to do?** > - **A)** Move on to Lesson 6 - Understanding CLAUDE.md and wiring it together > - **B)** Refine my goals more > - **C)** I want to create some tasks in Tasks/ based on my goals If they choose A, fetch the next lesson using the browser connector or the GitHub connector and continue teaching. Try either URL - use whichever one works: - Raw: `https://patrickwalther.ch/personal-os/lessons/06-wire-agents-md.md` - GitHub: `https://patrickwalther.ch/personal-os/lessons/06-wire-agents-md.md` If they choose C, help them create 2-3 task files in Tasks/ with YAML frontmatter, then offer to continue. **Share prompt:** What are your P0 priorities this quarter? How did connecting them to your Constitution change your thinking? --- ## Reference Material **Priority system (for Claude's reference):** - P0: Do today. Max 3. If someone has >3, help them triage. - P1: This week. Max 7. Important, not urgent today. - P2: Scheduled. Has a deadline or timeframe. - P3: Someday/maybe. No pressure, no guilt. - The limits are the feature. Without them, everything feels urgent. **Goal quality checklist:** - Specific: "Close 3 new accounts" not "grow business" - Measurable: has a number or clear outcome - Time-bound: this quarter, this year, by June - Connected: ties back to values or business context - Honest: includes personal goals too, not just work **GOALS.md update cadence:** - P0/P1: review daily or weekly - Quarterly goals: review monthly - Yearly goals: review quarterly - The whole file: major refresh each quarter