This Will Change the Way You Plan Out Your Goals
How to reverse engineer your way to your MOST Goal.
Last week, we talked about goal setting using the MOST Goal framework. This means creating a goal that is motivating, tracked with objective metrics, small enough to guarantee success, and timely. Today, we’re bringing your MOST Goal to life!
Overwhelmed by stress, my patients have told me their goals feel out of reach, with something invisible keeping them stuck. Nearly all of my patients know what they need to do; they simply aren’t able to take action (see Wes’s story below). This isn’t an individual failing; it’s how the human brain is designed. It’s not you! It’s your biology.
When you’re stressed, it’s virtually impossible for you to get out of your own way. That’s because your amygdala, which focuses on your immediate survival and self-preservation, overpowers your future-planning prefrontal cortex.
Moving past your stress to achieve a goal isn’t about a knowledge or motivation problem. It’s a gap in action. Creating your MOST Goal is the first step to closing this gap.
Now it’s time to follow through using a blueprint your brain loves: a Backwards Plan. Your Backwards Plan is a simple, one-page, step-by-step technique that moves you from intention to action. It closes the chasm between where you are and where you’d like to be, getting you closer to what matters to you most.
How to Make a Backwards Plan (Grab a Pen)
Start at the finish line. At the top of the page, write “END” with your MOST Goal and a target date roughly two to three months from now. (Like I’ve mentioned, your brain takes about eight weeks to rewire a new habit.)
Come back to the present moment. Now go to the bottom of the page. Write “START” and today’s date.
Fill in the in-between but backwards. Just beneath your MOST Goal, write down the last thing you need to do right before reaching it. Below that, write down the step you’d take before that. Work your way down the page, step by step, to the present moment (today).
Once your Backwards Plan is ready, put it where you can see it every day (your fridge, bathroom mirror, or desk are all great spots). When you can see it, you will believe it, which will make you far more likely to achieve it.
Why Backward Planning Works (the Science)
Your Backwards Plan is a stepwise, visual representation of your MOST Goal brought to life. It works with your biology rather than against it, helping you see a way forward—which, again, is difficult to do when you're struggling with stress.
In science speak, planning backwards loosens your amygdala’s grip and gives your prefrontal cortex its power back.
One study found that participants who planned backwards felt more motivated and less rushed and were more successful at completing their goals. “When visualizing the endpoint, things seem clearer and more positive,” one of the researchers said. “If you start at the present, you could go this way or that way—it can be more negative.”
Starting with the end in mind reduces overwhelm and builds real momentum. Essentially, your stressed brain responds well to the clarity of planning backwards.
Real Life Example: Meet My Patient
One of my patients, Wes, was caught up in his negative self-talk. He knew exactly what he had to do—lose weight and lower his blood pressure—but he had a hard time putting it into practice. He had many legitimate barriers in his life as a single parent working two jobs. With too many obligations, he felt an intense burden of work and family, and he couldn’t afford to spend an hour a day at the gym or make elaborate meals. He grabbed fast food, ate quickly between shifts, and stayed stuck with his amygdala in overdrive.
Here’s how Wes created his Backwards Plan:
END: Lower blood pressure and better weight control
→ Step 5: “Buy new pants that fit and feel good.”
→ Step 4: “Stay on track with my food choices to lose two more pounds.”
→ Step 3: “Walk around the park between shifts while FaceTiming the kids.”
→ Step 2: “Eat the meal I packed and skip the vending machine.”
→ Step 1: “Saturday grocery run with the kids. Get lunch and snack food for the week.”
START: Today
Wes built a realistic, actionable plan around the mechanics of his everyday life. The best part? He stuck with it and achieved his MOST Goal within four months.
What shifted in Wes’s mindset to make change possible? He discovered what mattered to him most and reverse engineered a stepwise plan to bring him closer to it. If Wes can do it, so can you.
This week’s stress reset: With your MOST Goal in mind, grab a sheet of paper and create your Backwards Plan. Reverse engineer your way from intention to action. It’s your stressed brain’s favorite kind of blueprint.
As existentialist Søren Kierkegaard says, life is understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.
Until next week,
Love this. This framework is so similar to a system we use as event pros - the workback timeline - which should be applied to getting to any of your goals.