Summary
OKRs aren’t just for setting work goals. In fact, they’ve been used to help people build stronger bonds with their family, prepare for a marathon, and much more. Personal OKRs aren’t a “bucket list,” they are a means to think through how you will accomplish unambiguous life goals.

Can OKRS work for personal or life goals? The OKR examples we so often hear about come from the business world that it’s an easy thing to wonder. But yes, OKRs are great for setting goals outside of the office. In fact, they’ve been used to help people build stronger bonds with their family, prepare for a marathon, and much more.

In an interview on Recode Decode, John Doerr was asked about his personal OKR. He answered, “You know, my daughters have both left home, but I had read and I believe that having family dinners together was a good thing. So, I set an OKR, shared it with my team to be home for dinner by 6 p.m. 20 nights a month and be present, turning off the phone. I put a switch on the router. We shut down the internet to the whole house.”

“It’s not only the quantity but the quality,” he added.

So, how would this personal OKR be written out to express his goal?

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Have more quality family time, as measured by:
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Getting home for dinner by 6 pm, 20 nights a month.
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Being present by turning off the internet router to eliminate distractions.
Source: John Doerr

And while it is a “personal” OKR, John was transparent from the get-go: He shared his goal with his team and family.

A similar set-up can be used for your personal fitness goals. Say it’s been a long winter, and you haven’t gone on a run since early late September. On your first run of the year, you’re at a 9-minute mile , but you used to be an 8-minute mile. There’s a 10k coming up early in June and you want to complete it under 50 minutes. How could you use OKRs to train?

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Run a 10K in under 50 minutes by June.
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Go for a run 3x/week for at least 30 minutes.
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Increase distance of run by 1 mile every week.
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Increase mile speed by 5 seconds every week.

On top of it all, make sure to tell people about your plans to get back to an 8-minute mile and the 10k you will run at that speed.

Those are just a some examples on how personal goals can be used for personal life goals.

Small reminder. These OKRs have to be just as specific and just as focused as any metrics you would use to craft your OKRs at work. Personal OKRs aren’t a “bucket list,” they are a means to think through how you will accomplish unambiguous life goals.

In a “Medium” post about personal OKRs, Christina Wodtke wrote how she used them to model herself as a professional author.

What sort of things in your personal life do you want to accomplish? How will you get there and who will you tell? As you plan, check out our FAQs, Resources, and Stories.

If you’re interested in starting our OKRs 101 course, click here.