Goal template
Career change template: plan your next role backward
Write the new role as already started. Then work back to one step you can take this week.
The template
Career change template
Done statement
I started work in a role I chose.
If-then plan
If a rejection knocks my confidence, then I write down one thing I learned and send the next application.
Backward milestones
- Finish lineI started work in a role I chose.
- Before thatAccepted an offer for the role I chose.
- Before thatHad my first interviews.
- Before thatSent applications and messages to people in the field.
- Before thatUpdated my resume and profile for the new role.
- This weekNamed the role I want and listed the skills it asks for.
Fills the form in the app. Edit any line before you save. Free, no account needed.
How to use this template
- Open it in the app. The button fills the new goal screen with the done statement, the if-then plan and the milestones above. Nothing is saved until you save it.
- Make the finish line yours. Swap in the role you want and a date. Keep it in the past tense, as if it already happened.
- Check the obstacle. Keep it if it fits. If something else is more likely to stop you, write that instead, with what you will do when it shows up.
- Start at the bottom. The last milestone is this week's step. Give it one 45 minute sprint, or a 10 minute start if the day is full, and log what you did tonight.
Questions
What if I do not know which role I want yet?
Then the bottom line of the plan is the real work: name the role and list the skills it asks for. Everything above it can wait until that line is written.
Can I change the template?
Yes. The template only fills the form in the app. You can edit the done statement, the obstacle, the if-then plan and every milestone before you save, and any time after.
Does picking a template send my goal anywhere?
No. The template words are built into the app and fill the form on your device. Your journal stays on your device unless you choose to share it. Share only what you choose: invite a friend as your witness for accountability, and they can invite you back.
Why write the goal as already done?
A finish line written in the past tense gives you a fixed point to plan back from. Each milestone has to fit before it, so the plan ends at a step small enough to start this week.
Will this template make my goal happen?
No template or app can promise that. Start From Done is a reverse planning and journaling tool: it helps you see the next step, take it, and keep a record of what you did. The doing is yours.