Personal OKRs: How to do them right + personal goals examples

We’ve all been there—setting ambitious personal goals at the start of the year, only to watch them fizzle out by February. Whether it’s hitting the gym more often, saving for that dream holiday, or finally picking up that hobby you’ve been putting off, personal goals can be tough to stick to. Just think about how many New Year’s resolutions you’ve actually followed through on.

In business, goals come in the form of OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). OKRs are designed with businesses and teams in mind, but a lot of people are keen to apply the same principles to tracking their personal goals. And it makes sense—OKRs are great for driving focus, measuring progress, and staying accountable. It works for our business goals, why not my fitness goals?

But here’s the thing: what works in a team environment won’t always translate to a good single-player mode. The key is understanding how to tweak the framework so it works for you to get all the benefits that the OKR framework can offer.

In this article, we’ll break down what OKRs are, how they differ between teams and individuals, and share tips on how to make them work in your personal life to turn you into the super human you strive to be.

What are OKRs?

OKRs stand for Objectives and Key Results. It’s a simple framework used by businesses to set goals and measure progress. The idea is to set a big, ambitious objective (that’s the O), and then track your progress with a few specific, measurable key results (that’s the KRs).

Think of the Objective as your big picture goal—something that’s inspiring and gives you a clear direction. It’s the “What do I want to achieve?” part.

Then come the Key Results, which are the “How will I know I’m getting there?” part. These are measurable milestones that help you track your progress towards that big goal. If your objective is the destination, the key results are the signposts along the way.

Here’s a quick example from a business perspective:

• Objective: Improve customer satisfaction.
  
  • KR 1: Increase customer satisfaction score from 75% to 90%.
  • KR 2: Reduce average customer support response time from 24 hours to 4 hours.
  • KR 3: Launch a new customer feedback system by Q2.

See how the objective is broad and inspiring, but the key results are specific and measurable? That’s what makes OKRs so powerful—they help you stay focused on what really matters, while giving you clear targets to hit along the way.

OKRs for teams vs. personal goals

OKRs might be a business tool at heart, but more and more people are curious about how they can apply the same structure to their personal lives. Before jumping in, it’s important to understand how OKRs work in a team environment versus when you’re flying solo. There are some key differences that can make or break your success.

What’s the difference between team and personal OKRs?

While the core idea of OKRs stays the same—setting goals and tracking progress—the way they function in a team setting is quite different from how they work on a personal level. Here’s how:

Team accountability

In a business, OKRs thrive on accountability. You’ve got regular check-ins with your team, updates to your manager, and a shared sense of responsibility. When it’s just you? That accountability can vanish unless you build it into your routine.

Clarity

OKRs in teams are all about bringing clarity to everyone’s role and ensuring everyone is on the same page. But when it comes to personal goals, things can get fuzzy if you’re not clear about why you’re pursuing them and how you’ll get there.

Alignment to business objectives

Businesses use OKRs to align team efforts with big-picture goals. In your personal life, the challenge is aligning your goals with your own values and priorities. Without that alignment, goals can start to feel meaningless.

How to track personal goals with OKRs

If you’ve ever set a personal goal and watched it fade away, you’re not alone. Personal OKRs often fail for a few common reasons—but the good news is, once you know what’s going wrong, it’s easier to fix. Whether it’s a lack of accountability, unclear goals, or just trying to do too much at once, understanding these pitfalls can help you tweak your approach and actually stick to the goals you set.

1. Lack of accountability and consistency

In a team setting, you’ve got built-in accountability—whether it’s your manager checking in or your teammates counting on you to deliver. But when it’s just you? It’s easy to let things slide. That’s why personal OKRs need some form of accountability baked in.

One of the best ways to stay consistent is to involve your peers. Whether it’s a book club, a running group, or even just a mate checking in on your progress, having people around you who keep you in check can make a huge difference. They’ll remind you of your goals, celebrate your wins, and give you that nudge when you need it. Plus, uplifting each other makes the process way more enjoyable.

2. Not enough focus

The most common reason OKRs fail is they just have too many. Remember that if you want to achieve your goals, pick your most important ones and really focus on them. When you’re stretched thin across too many aspirations, none of them will get the time and attention needed to succeed. 

Pick 3-5 of your most important and impactful goals and track just those goals. This will ensure that your energy isn’t wasted juggling too much stuff. 

3. Set and forget

You set your goals and a few weeks later you totally forgot what your goals were. This is so common and possibly the biggest reason why a goal fails. One sure way to make sure you stay accountable is to check in on your goals often. Put some time on your calendar every Monday or Friday to reflect and take note of the progress you’ve made. You can’t just magically go from A to Z, you have to take it step by step. 

4. Bad goals get you nowhere

A lot of personal OKRs fail simply because the goals aren’t well-defined. If your goals are too vague, hard to measure, or simply aren’t realistic or achievable.

Writing a good goal takes some thought and when you have a good clear goal, it should be specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time-bound. 

How to write a good personal goal

Setting goals sounds simple enough—until you realise how easy it is to set the wrong ones. Vague goals, unrealistic expectations, or just not knowing what success looks like can quickly derail your progress. That’s where the SMART goals framework come in. 

The SMART framework is a tried-and-true method for setting goals that stick. It’s a great template to follow to make sure that you have clear concise goal that you’ll actually be able to act on.

SMART goals break your goals down into five key elements:

• Specific: Be clear about what you want to achieve. Instead of saying, “I want to get fit,” try “I want to run 5km without stopping.” The more specific, the better.
• Measurable: How will you know you’re making progress? If your goal isn’t measurable, it’s hard to stay motivated. For example, “I want to save $5,000 in six months” gives you a clear target to aim for.
• Achievable: Your goals should challenge you, but they also need to be realistic. Setting the bar too high can lead to frustration. Make sure your goals are ambitious but doable.
• Relevant: Your goals should align with what matters to you. If you’re setting goals based on what you think you should do (hello, random TikTok trends), they won’t stick. Make sure your goals reflect your values and priorities.
• Time-bound: Set a deadline. Open-ended goals are easy to push off, but giving yourself a timeframe creates urgency and keeps you focused. Whether it’s a weekly check-in or a three-month deadline, time-boxing your goals makes a big difference.

If you put this into practice you’ll quickly be able to identify if the goals you’ve set for yourself are good or not. Here’s what a good and bad goal might look like:

🛑 Bad goal: “Lose some weight this summer”

✅ Good goal: “Get to my ideal body weight of 165 lbs by the end of August, through weight training and cardio.”

Personal goals examples

Now that we understand good goal formatting, and how to set them for success let’s get into the content of the goal. 

What is the goal YOU are trying to achieve?

Below you’ll find some examples of great personal goals you can set for yourself around 7 main areas of a healthy personal life:

1. Health and fitness 
2. Finance 
3. Mental health 
4. Career advancement 
5. Family and relationships
6. Environmental
7. Personal growth and learning

Health and fitness personal goals

Getting fit is one of the most common personal goals, but it’s also one of the easiest to let slide. By setting clear OKRs, you can stay motivated and track your progress.

• Objective: Improve my overall fitness and endurance.
  
  • KR 1: Run 5km in under 30 minutes by the end of the quarter.
  • KR 2: Go to the gym 3 times a week for the next 3 months.
  • Key Result 3: Reduce body fat percentage from 25% to 20% by June.
• Objective: Build strength and increase my vertical jump.
  
  • KR 1: Add 5cm to my vertical jump within 3 months.
  • KR 2: Complete a dumbbell workout targeting legs and core 4 times a week.
  • KR 3: Increase dumbbell squat weight from 15kg to 25kg by April.

Personal finance goals

Money goals can be tricky—they’re easy to push off or forget about entirely. But with clear OKRs, you can build better financial habits and hit your targets faster.

• Objective: Strengthen my financial health.
  
  • KR 1: Save $5,000 for a holiday by December.
  • KR 2: Reduce monthly spending on non-essentials by 20%.
  • KR 3: Pay off $2,000 in credit card debt in the next 6 months.
• Objective: Build a long-term savings habit.
  
  • KR 1: Set up automatic transfers of $200 per week into savings.
  • KR 2: Track all expenses weekly for the next 3 months.
  • KR 3: Build an emergency fund covering 3 months of expenses by year-end.

Mental health goals

Mental health is just as important as physical health, but it often doesn’t get the same attention. OKRs can help you create habits that support your wellbeing.

• Objective: Improve my mental wellbeing and reduce stress.
  
  • KR 1: Meditate for 10 minutes, 5 days a week.
  • KR 2: Take one mental health day off work each month.
  • KR 3: Journal at least 3 times a week to reflect on thoughts and feelings.
• Objective: Build healthier daily habits to support mental clarity.
  
  • KR 1: Limit screen time to under 2 hours a day outside of work.
  • KR 2: Practice gratitude journaling every morning for 30 days.
  • KR 3: Walk outdoors for at least 20 minutes, 4 times a week.

Career personal goals

Whether you’re aiming for a promotion or switching careers, OKRs can help you set clear milestones and track your growth.

• Objective: Advance my career and develop new skills.
  
  • KR 1: Complete a professional certification course by the end of the year.
  • KR 2: Attend 3 networking events in the next 6 months.
  • KR 3: Apply for at least 5 new roles by March.
• Objective: Improve leadership skills and visibility at work.
  
  • KR 1: Lead 2 major projects within the next 6 months.
  • KR 2: Provide mentorship to 2 colleagues by the end of the year.
  • KR 3: Present at one company-wide meeting or event within the next quarter.

Family and relationship goals

Life gets busy, and it’s easy to let relationships take a back seat. OKRs can help you stay intentional about nurturing your connections with family and friends.

• Objective: Strengthen my relationships with family and friends.
  
  • KR 1: Schedule a weekly dinner or catch-up with close friends.
  • KR 2: Plan a family holiday for the upcoming year.
  • KR 3: Call or message my parents at least twice a week.
• Objective: Build stronger connections with my partner.
  
  • KR 1: Plan a date night every fortnight for the next 6 months.
  • KR 2: Spend 30 minutes daily with no phones or distractions.
  • KR 3: Take a weekend getaway together within the next 3 months.

Environmental goals

If you’re looking to make a difference for the planet, OKRs can help you build sustainable habits and track your environmental impact.

• Objective: Reduce my environmental impact.
  
  • KR 1: Cut down household energy use by 15% over the next 3 months.
  • KR 2: Reduce single-use plastics by 80% by switching to reusable products.
  • KR 3: Start composting food waste by the end of the month.
• Objective: Adopt a more sustainable lifestyle.
  
  • KR 1: Buy only second-hand clothing for the next 6 months.
  • KR 2: Reduce meat consumption to twice a week by April.
  • KR 3: Use public transport or cycle to work at least 3 times a week.

Personal growth and learning goals

Whether you’re picking up a new skill or diving into a hobby, OKRs can help you stay consistent and see progress over time.

• Objective: Broaden my knowledge and skills.
  
  • KR 1: Read 12 books by the end of the year (one per month).
  • KR 2: Learn conversational Japanese and hold a 5-minute conversation by June.
  • KR 3: Take an online course and complete it within 3 months.
• Objective: Develop a creative hobby and stick with it.
  
  • KR 1: Write one short story per month for the next 6 months.
  • KR 2: Learn to play 3 songs on the guitar by the end of the quarter.
  • KR 3: Dedicate 1 hour a week to practising drawing or painting.

Bonus: Get a personal goals template using AI

If you don’t see a goal that works for you here, there are other resources you can use. One really helpful one is this OKR generator. Using a simple phrase or prompt, you can use this AI generator to help you craft the perfect OKRs for what you’re trying to achieve. 

Conclusion: OKRs can help you stick to your personal goals

Personal goals can be tricky to stick to, but with the right approach, you can turn those big ambitions into achievable milestones. OKRs can give you a simple, structured way to stay focused, measure your progress, and hold yourself accountable—whether you’re aiming to get fitter, advance your career, or just grow as a person.

The key is making OKRs work for you. While the framework was designed for teams and businesses, with a few tweaks, it can be just as powerful in your personal life. Set goals that genuinely inspire you, track your progress consistently, and don’t be afraid to bring friends or family into the mix for that extra layer of support.

At the end of the day, it’s not about perfection—it’s about progress. By applying the OKR framework to your personal goals, you’ll find yourself not only achieving more but also staying motivated and aligned with what truly matters to you. So go ahead, set those goals, and start turning your ambitions into reality.

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