From Goal to Action Worksheet

NAME DATE

Develop the skills to achieve goals.

TO ACHIEVE GOALS, FOLLOW THE GSPA FRAMEWORK.

1. Goals: Set clear outcome and behavior goals.

2. Skills: Break down goals into specific skills.
3. Practices: Build and improve those skills through targeted practices.
4. Actions: Break practices down into small daily actions that can be done reliably and consistently.

HOW TO USE THIS FRAMEWORK

1. Start with the big picture.Use the GSPA tree on the next page as an easy template to draft your big picture strategy: from big
goal(s) to small action(s). (For skills and practices ideas, check out the PN Practice Library.)

2. Narrow in on practices. Choose which practice(s) you (or your clients) are ready, willing, and able to try next.

3. Get really specific. Move on to the Action Commitment Worksheet to define the details of the practice(s): i.e., the specific
action(s) of the practice, how and how often progress will be measured, what challenges might come up, etc.

Review and iterate often!

After you’ve created the first draft of this plan, refer back to it often (e.g., at each Check-in, when you get to Step 3 of the coaching
process).

Whenever needed, adapt.

Your plan will change as goal(s) and coaching relationships evolve.
From Goal to Action (cont’d)
The goals-skills-practices-actions tree

YOUR GOAL
What outcome do you want to achieve?

What broad behavior(s) do you want to perform consistently to achieve that outcome?

SKILL SKILL
What abilities, competencies, and capacities will move you towards the goal? What abilities, competencies, and capacities will move you towards the goal?

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

What specific behaviors do you need to repeat What specific behaviors do you need to repeat What specific behaviors do you need to repeat What specific behaviors do you need to repeat
in order to build the skill? in order to build the skill? in order to build the skill? in order to build the skill?

ACTION ACTION ACTION ACTION ACTION ACTION ACTION ACTION

What small specific What small specific What small specific What small specific What small specific What small specific What small specific What small specific
tasks can you do tasks can you do tasks can you do tasks can you do tasks can you do tasks can you do tasks can you do tasks can you do
realistically, every day, realistically, every day, realistically, every day, realistically, every day, realistically, every day, realistically, every day, realistically, every day, realistically, every day,
to build the practice? to build the practice? to build the practice? to build the practice? to build the practice? to build the practice? to build the practice? to build the practice?
From Goal to Action (cont’d)

Skill development 101

What is an outcome goal?
Outcome goals are the tangible results of a process or behaviors. You can’t directly control whether you achieve outcome goals.

What is a behavior goal?

Behavior goals are the broad set of actions that move you towards the outcome(s) that you want. These are within your control to do.

What is a skill?
A skill is an ability, competency, and/or capacity that you need in order to move in the direction of your goal.

A skill reflects the power to do something. So don’t mix a skill up with information or knowledge (e.g. reading nutrition and health
blogs, or looking at the data from your fitness gadgets).

Skills take time and practice to develop. That’s why we break them down into practices, and small daily actions.

What makes a good practice?

A practice involves exercises and applications that help build the skills.

What are actions?

We break practices into actions: very small, specific, concrete tasks that people can easily do daily, or as often as possible.

Repeated over time, these actions become habits, or automatic behaviors that are ingrained seamlessly into people’s lives.

A GOOD PRACTICE OR ACTION SHOULD FOLLOW THE “FIVE-S FORMULA”:

SUPPORTED
5 Include teaching, coaching, mentorship,
and accountability

SIMPLE
4 On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you that you can
do this every day for 2 weeks?

SEQUENTIAL
3 Start with “thing 1”, then do “thing 2”, then do “thing 3”,
and so on.

SEGMENTAL
2 Break bigger things down into their component parts

STRATEGIC
1 Leveraging strengths to address the thing
that’s in the way right now.
From Goal to Action (cont’d)
Example GSPA Strategy in practice

YOUR GOAL
What outcome do you want to achieve?

Build muscle

What broad behavior(s) do you want to perform consistently to achieve that outcome?

Support my recovery by eating enough and sleeping better

SKILL SKILL
What abilities, competencies, and capacities will move you towards the goal? What abilities, competencies, and capacities will move you towards the goal?

Eat enough nutrients Get enough sleep

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

What specific behaviors do you need to What specific behaviors do you need to What specific behaviors do you need to What specific behaviors do you need to
repeat in order to build the skill? repeat in order to build the skill? repeat in order to build the skill? repeat in order to build the skill?

Eat enough protein Eat enough carbohydrates Set sleep targets and plan bedtimes Nap

ACTION ACTION ACTION ACTION

What small specific tasks can you do What small specific tasks can you do What small specific tasks can you do What small specific tasks can you do
realistically, every day, to build the realistically, every day, to build the realistically, every day, to build the realistically, every day, to build the
practice? practice? practice? practice?

Make and drink a Super Shake Eat 2 handfuls of brown rice

every day after every strength workout Turn screens off at 10:30 pm (30 Clear my calendar for a ~1 hour gap
(~3 days per week) minutes before getting into bed) in the afternoon every day
Have Greek yogurt at my work
lunch with my sandwich, every day Eat 1 piece of fruit every day