What are OKRs and How to Use Them to Get Things Done

Monday, February 14, 2022

There are many reasons why people fail to achieve their goals, but it’s rarely because they are lazy or simply incapable. In reality, most people fail because they don’t know how to properly act on their goals.

Planning is the easy part of goal setting and everybody can do it. However, acting on a plan requires a strategy that does not come naturally to everyone.

One way is using OKRs.

What are OKRs

OKR is an acronym that stands for Objectives and Key Results. Coined by John Doerr and originated by Andy Grove, it’s a simple but effective formula for goal setting.

OKRs use the formula: I will [Objective] as measured by [Key Results].

An Objective is defined as any goal you aspire to complete while Key Results refer to the metrics that help you measure your progress as you complete those goals.

An Objective may be broad, but it should be action-oriented or something that requires you to move from Point A to Point B.

Meanwhile, Key Results are standards that can be measured. They are specific, well-defined, and have deadlines. What makes using OKRs particularly successful is how it takes into consideration the practical side of goal setting.

Specifically, it asks the important question: What does your success look like?

If your Objective is to learn Spanish, perhaps what that means to you is being able to hold a simple conversation in Spanish in a year.
If you want to increase your website traffic, perhaps you can only see it as a success if you see at least 200 more visitors every month.
If your goal is to scale your business, maybe what that means for you is earning $5000 more per month.

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Using OKRs for your personal goals

Because the principle is so simple, you can apply OKRs to almost any goal setting scenario. As an individual, you can benefit from the potential of using OKRs to improve your personal, professional, health, and financial goals.

Whether you want to increase your fitness, pick up a new skill, or simply want to become more positive, goal setting using OKRs lets you establish a clear vision of what you want.

Here are some examples of applying OKRs for your career goals.

Objective: Monetize my blog as measured by:

Key Result: Getting at least 2000 visitors per day

Key Result: Earning at least $10 in ads per day

Objective: Build good habits as measured by:

Key Result: Waking up at 6 am every day and spending 15 minutes journaling

Key Result: Writing down 6 things to do for the next day before going to sleep every day

Key Result: Getting at least 7 hours of sleep daily

Why use OKRs

Using OKRs provides teams and individuals a level of coherence and clarity by clearly outlining their goals along with a target vision of success. Here are some additional benefits of using OKRs:

It orients you towards actionable goals. What you want to achieve is clearly outlined by your Key Results, so you immediately know what you need to work on and jump right into it.
It forces you to identify your priorities. Now that your milestones are mapped, you can redirect all efforts towards what you or the business wants.
In a team environment, it aligns individual work towards a single, unified goal.
Each member of the team shares the same view of success.
It simplifies goal tracking. Because the benchmarks are easily verifiable, you can tell whether you are on track or not and shift gears when necessary.

TaskSpur as your OKR tool

Make goal planning and tracking easy with TaskSpur, an app that simplifies goal management for you.

Just create a goal (Objective) on the platform, define your Key Results in the description, and list down all relevant tasks under it. You can easily create multiple goals for all your personal, health, career, and financial aspirations.

The best thing about TaskSpur is its ease of use, daily reminders, and task automation to keep you on track.

Why Use TaskSpur

Powered by a machine learning and artificial intelligence engine so the more you use it, the smarter it gets and the better it becomes at giving you helpful recommendations
Clutter-free, user-friendly interface
Allows reoccurring tasks
Coming soon: a Calendar feature for easier planning
Coming soon: integrated shopping, so you can check out deals and relevant services for you
Coming soon: an eLearning platform for you to explore relevant courses

Check it out now!

Download TaskSpur on Android | Download TaskSpur on your iPhone