Why Grandmother-Checkable Goals Beat Motivation Every Time
Motivation fades. Goals get forgotten. But crystal-clear targets get done.
What's the difference? Anyone can check whether you completed a crystal-clear target.
Even your grandmother.
The Clarity Test
Ask yourself: Could my grandmother check whether I did this?
Vague goal: "Practice English listening" Grandmother test: She can't tell if you did it
Crystal-clear target: "Find five examples of 'recently' with simple past tense" Grandmother test: She could count your examples
Why Vague Goals Fail
Problem 1: Self-deception "I practiced listening" could mean anything. Even listening to music in English.
Problem 2: No endpoint When are you finished? How do you know you succeeded?
Problem 3: Easy excuses "I didn't have time" sounds reasonable with vague goals.
The Power of Specificity
Crystal-clear targets eliminate wiggle room:
Instead of: "Work on time expressions" Try: "Find three examples of 'these days' in business videos"
Instead of: "Practice prepositions" Try: "Record myself saying 'in the morning' and 'at night' 10 times each"
Instead of: "Improve listening" Try: "Identify when speakers say 'ago' vs 'before' in one podcast episode"
The Grandmother Principle
Make targets so specific that:
- Anyone can verify completion
- No interpretation needed
- Results are countable
Examples of Crystal-Clear Targets
Time Expression Targets:
- Find 5 sentences using "lately" with present perfect
- List 3 "these days" examples from news articles
- Record 10 "reduced preposition" examples ('n, 't)
General Listening Targets:
- Write down 5 contractions from one movie scene
- Count how many times someone says "gonna" in a 10-minute video
- Find 3 examples of word connections (like "pick it up" = "pickitup")
The Collection Strategy
Turn practice into collecting:
Collect examples like stamps:
- Today: Find 3 "ago" examples
- Tomorrow: Find 3 "before" examples
- Next day: Find 3 "lately" examples
Build your evidence file:
- Screenshot examples
- Write them down
- Record yourself saying them
No Fudging Allowed
Crystal-clear targets eliminate fake progress:
Can't fake: "I found 5 examples" (show them) Can fake: "I practiced for 30 minutes" (doing what?)
Can't fake: "I recorded myself 10 times" (play the recording) Can fake: "I worked on pronunciation" (how?)
The Daily Minimum
Set embarrassingly small crystal-clear targets:
- Find 1 example of [target pattern]
- Say [target phrase] 5 times
- Write down 3 sentences with [target structure]
Small + Clear = Unstoppable progress
Weekly Progress Check
Review your collection:
- Monday: 3 "ago" examples
- Tuesday: 3 "before" examples
- Wednesday: 3 "lately" examples
- Thursday: 3 "recently" examples
- Friday: 3 "these days" examples
Total: 15 examples. Measurable progress.
The Completion Satisfaction
Crystal-clear targets give you closure:
Vague: "Did I practice enough?" (Never know) Clear: "Did I find 5 examples?" (Yes or no)
Building the Habit
Start with tiny crystal-clear targets:
- Week 1: Find 1 example daily
- Week 2: Find 2 examples daily
- Week 3: Find 3 examples daily
The Bottom Line
Replace motivation with crystal-clear targets.
Make them so specific your grandmother could check them.
Watch your English skills become measurably better, day by day.
No more wondering if you're making progress. You'll have proof.