| name | assess-goal |
| description | Assess the quality of a goal by scoring it on five axes that each run from a SMART pole to a VAPID pole — Specific↔Vague, Measurable↔Amorphous, Actionable↔Pie-in-the-sky, Responsible↔Irrelevant, Time-bound↔Delayed — then classify it and rewrite it sharper. Use when the user shares a goal, intention, resolution, objective, plan, or task and wants it evaluated, scored, critiqued, or improved — "is this a good goal?", "is this SMART or VAPID?", "score my goal", "what's wrong with this goal?", "make this goal sharper", "will I actually follow through on this?". |
Assess Goal
Score a goal on five independent axes. Each axis runs from a SMART pole
(supports follow-through) to a VAPID pole (predicts drift and abandonment).
SMART and VAPID are not two separate tests — they are the two ends of the same
five axes, so one pass tells you both what's good and what's broken, and
where on the spectrum the goal sits overall.
The SMART↔VAPID axis pairing comes from CGP Grey, "You're Probably Doing All
7." This skill keeps the mechanics and drops the self-help framing — it judges
goal quality and likelihood of follow-through, not how a goal makes you feel.
The five axes
| # | Axis | SMART pole (✅) | VAPID pole (❌) | The question to ask |
|---|
| 1 | Specific ↔ Vague | Names one unambiguous outcome | A theme or mood, not an outcome | Is it clear exactly what counts as the target? |
| 2 | Measurable ↔ Amorphous | Has an objective finish line | "Always more to do," no done-state | Could a stranger tell when it's done? |
| 3 | Actionable ↔ Pie-in-the-sky | Has a clear first step you can take now | Needs a miracle, motivation, or scope you can't reach | Can you do a real piece of it in the next hour? |
| 4 | Responsible ↔ Irrelevant | You own it; right thing, right order | Depends on others, or out of sequence with what you actually need | Is it yours to do, and is it the next thing? |
| 5 | Time-bound ↔ Delayed | Has a when — deadline or scheduled time | "Someday," "when I feel like it" | Is there a concrete when? |
Faithful to Grey's wording: A = Actionable, R = Responsible. This
differs from the classic Achievable/Relevant SMART — use this version.
Workflow
- Restate the goal in one line, exactly as given.
- Score each axis as ✅ SMART / 🟡 Partial / ❌ VAPID, with a one-line
reason that quotes the goal's own words. Score axes independently — a goal
can be perfectly Specific yet hopelessly Delayed.
- Classify overall from the tally (see scale below).
- Rewrite it SMART — one tightened version that moves every 🟡/❌ toward ✅.
Prefer shrinking scope to the smallest real step over inflating ambition.
Classification scale
Score each axis ✅ = 1, 🟡 = 0.5, ❌ = 0, and sum (range 0–5). The bands are
exhaustive and non-overlapping — every possible score lands in exactly one:
| Score | Band | Meaning |
|---|
| score < 2.0 | VAPID | Engineered to stall; the rewrite is the real deliverable. |
| 2.0 ≤ score < 4.0 | Mixed | Workable but leaky; name the weak axes and fix them. |
| score ≥ 4.0 | SMART | Well-formed; likely to drive action. Ship it. |
Boundaries are explicit: 2.0 is Mixed (not VAPID), and 4.0 is SMART
(not Mixed). Do not round a boundary score down — compute the sum and read the
band off the table. See EXAMPLES.md for pinned cases at each boundary.
The shrink test (the most common fix)
Most failing goals fail axes 2 and 3 (Measurable / Actionable) for the same
reason: the scope is too big to ever finish. The fix is almost always
scope reduction to a step you could complete today.
- ❌ "Clean the whole house today" — no finish line, can't be done → ✅ "Do this one pile of laundry."
- ❌ "Get my life organized" → ✅ "Clear the papers off my desk before dinner."
When a goal is Vague or Amorphous, first ask: what is the laundry-pile-sized
version of this?
Output format
Goal: "<restated>"
1. Specific: ✅/🟡/❌ <reason>
2. Measurable: ✅/🟡/❌ <reason>
3. Actionable: ✅/🟡/❌ <reason>
4. Responsible: ✅/🟡/❌ <reason>
5. Time-bound: ✅/🟡/❌ <reason>
Classification: <SMART | Mixed | VAPID> (<score>/5)
Sharper version: "<rewritten goal>"
What changed: <one line per axis you moved toward SMART>
Example
Input: "I want to get in shape this year."
1. Specific: ❌ "in shape" is undefined — no target outcome.
2. Measurable: ❌ no metric for "in shape," no finish line.
3. Actionable: ❌ "get in shape" names no step you can start now — pie-in-the-sky as phrased.
4. Responsible: ✅ it's yours and in your control.
5. Time-bound: 🟡 "this year" is a horizon, not a scheduled when.
Classification: VAPID (1.5/5)
Sharper version: "I will walk 20 minutes after lunch today, then put
Mon/Wed/Fri walks on my calendar this week."
What changed: Specific+Measurable (named action + count), Actionable
(start today), Time-bound (scheduled, not "this year").
