Goal Breakdown Planner

A structured goal decomposition skill that takes a big, ambitious goal and breaks it down into SMART milestones, weekly action steps, dependency chains, and measurable checkpoints. Works with task managers and project tools to create an executable plan you can actually follow, not just a wish list pinned to your wall.

Supported Platforms & Integrations

Platform	Setup Method	Auth Type	Notes
Todoist	API token	REST API	Creates project with milestone sections and weekly tasks
Notion	Integration token	OAuth2	Builds a goal tracking database with progress views
Linear	API token	REST API	Maps milestones to project issues with due dates
Google Sheets	Service account	OAuth2	Creates Gantt-style timeline with progress tracking
Things 3	Shortcuts export	Local	Creates project with areas and headings per milestone
GitHub Projects	API token	REST API	For technical goals, maps milestones to project boards

When to Use This Skill

• Use this when you have a big goal but no idea where to start or what the first step is
• Use this when your goals are vague like "get healthier" or "learn programming" and need concrete structure
• Use this when you have set the same goal multiple times and never followed through because it felt overwhelming
• Use this when you need to plan a 3-12 month initiative with clear milestones and weekly deliverables
• Use this when you want to identify dependencies between sub-goals so you work in the right order
• Use this when you need to communicate a personal development plan to a manager or accountability partner
• Consider alternatives when you need team project management with multiple contributors — use Asana or Linear directly
• Consider alternatives when the goal is simple enough to track with a single habit — use a habit tracker instead

Quick Start

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# ~/.claude/skills/goal-breakdown-planner.yaml
goal: "Launch a personal SaaS product generating $1,000 MRR"
timeline_months: 6
weekly_hours_available: 10
current_skills:
  - web_development
  - javascript
  - react
skills_to_learn:
  - marketing
  - stripe_integration
  - deployment
task_manager: todoist
tracking_method: weekly_checkins
history_file: ~/.goals/plans/saas-launch.json

First Run Example

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claude skill goal-breakdown-planner --plan

Expected Output

Goal Breakdown Planner
========================

Goal: Launch a personal SaaS product generating $1,000 MRR
Timeline: 6 months (26 weeks)
Weekly capacity: 10 hours
Total available effort: 260 hours

SMART Validation:
  Specific: Yes — SaaS product with revenue target
  Measurable: Yes — $1,000 MRR is quantifiable
  Achievable: Moderate — requires consistent effort + marketing
  Relevant: Assumed yes (personal entrepreneurship goal)
  Time-bound: Yes — 6-month deadline

--- MILESTONE BREAKDOWN ---

Milestone 1: Idea Validation (Weeks 1-3)
  Objective: Validate problem and willingness to pay
  Deliverable: 10 customer interviews completed
  Dependencies: None (starting point)
  Effort: 30 hours

  Weekly Actions:
    Week 1: Identify 3 problem spaces, draft interview script
    Week 2: Conduct 5 interviews, synthesize findings
    Week 3: Conduct 5 more interviews, pick the validated idea
  Checkpoint: Can you describe the problem in one sentence
  and name 5 people who would pay to solve it?

Milestone 2: MVP Build (Weeks 4-10)
  Objective: Build minimum viable product with core feature
  Deliverable: Working app deployed with Stripe checkout
  Dependencies: Milestone 1 (validated idea)
  Effort: 70 hours

  Weekly Actions:
    Week 4: Design data model and wireframe core screens
    Week 5: Build authentication and basic CRUD
    Week 6: Build core feature (the one thing that solves the problem)
    Week 7: Integrate Stripe for payments
    Week 8: Build landing page with clear value proposition
    Week 9: Deploy to production (Vercel/Railway)
    Week 10: Internal testing, bug fixes, polish
  Checkpoint: Can 10 beta users sign up, use the core feature,
  and check out without assistance?

Milestone 3: Beta Launch (Weeks 11-14)
  Objective: Get first 10 paying customers
  Deliverable: 10 active subscriptions
  Dependencies: Milestone 2 (working MVP)
  Effort: 40 hours

  Weekly Actions:
    Week 11: Invite interview participants as beta users
    Week 12: Collect feedback, fix critical issues
    Week 13: Iterate on onboarding flow based on drop-off data
    Week 14: Expand invitations to adjacent communities
  Checkpoint: Do you have 10 paying users and a Net Promoter
  Score above 7?

Milestone 4: Growth to $1K MRR (Weeks 15-26)
  Objective: Scale from 10 to ~70 customers at $15/mo
  Deliverable: $1,000+ MRR confirmed in Stripe dashboard
  Dependencies: Milestone 3 (proven product-market fit)
  Effort: 120 hours

  Weekly Actions:
    Weeks 15-18: Content marketing — write 4 SEO articles
    Weeks 19-20: Launch on Product Hunt and relevant communities
    Weeks 21-22: Build referral program, cold email outreach
    Weeks 23-24: Analyze conversion funnel, optimize pricing
    Weeks 25-26: Buffer for iteration and unexpected challenges
  Checkpoint: Stripe MRR dashboard shows $1,000+

--- DEPENDENCY CHAIN ---

  Idea Validation --> MVP Build --> Beta Launch --> Growth
       (wk 1-3)     (wk 4-10)     (wk 11-14)    (wk 15-26)

--- RISK FACTORS ---
  1. Validation fails (pivot by week 4, do not build unvalidated)
  2. MVP takes longer than 7 weeks (cut scope, not timeline)
  3. Marketing skills gap (allocate 2 hours/week to learning)

Push plan to Todoist as a project? (y/n)

Advanced Configuration

Platform-Specific Setup

Todoist Project Structure

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todoist:
  enabled: true
  api_token: "your-todoist-token"
  project_name: "SaaS Launch Plan"
  create_sections_per_milestone: true
  include_due_dates: true
  priority_mapping:
    milestone_task: 4
    weekly_action: 3
    learning_task: 2
  recurring_checkin: "every friday at 5pm"

Notion Goal Database

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notion:
  enabled: true
  database_id: "your-goals-database-id"
  properties:
    goal_name: "Goal"
    milestone: "Milestone"
    status: "Status"
    progress_pct: "Progress"
    due_date: "Due Date"
    dependencies: "Blocked By"
  views:
    - timeline
    - kanban
    - table

Full Options Reference

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
goal	string	required	The big goal to break down
timeline_months	int	6	Total months to achieve the goal
weekly_hours_available	int	10	Hours per week you can dedicate
current_skills	list	[]	Skills you already have relevant to this goal
skills_to_learn	list	[]	Skills you need to acquire along the way
task_manager	string	none	todoist, notion, linear, things3, or github
tracking_method	string	weekly_checkins	weekly_checkins, milestone_only, or daily
history_file	string	~/.goals/plans/	Where to store the goal plan
include_learning_tasks	bool	true	Add skill acquisition tasks to the plan
include_risk_analysis	bool	true	Identify potential failure points and mitigations
buffer_percentage	float	0.15	Extra time buffer for unexpected delays (15% default)
milestone_count	string	auto	auto-calculated or specify exact number
checkpoint_questions	bool	true	Include go/no-go questions at each milestone
dependency_tracking	bool	true	Map dependencies between milestones

Core Concepts

Concept	Purpose	How It Works
SMART Validation	Ensures goals are well-formed	Checks specificity, measurability, achievability, relevance, time-bound criteria
Milestone Decomposition	Makes big goals manageable	Breaks the goal into 3-6 milestones, each with a clear deliverable
Weekly Action Steps	Creates daily executable tasks	Each milestone has specific weekly tasks that fit within your time budget
Dependency Chains	Ensures correct sequencing	Maps which milestones must complete before others can start
Checkpoint Questions	Prevents false progress	Go/no-go questions at each milestone to verify real achievement

Architecture

Big Goal Input
    |
    v
+-------------------+
| SMART Validator   |----> Checks goal quality, requests refinement
+-------------------+
    |
    v
+-------------------+
| Milestone Builder |----> Decomposes into 3-6 milestone phases
+-------------------+
    |
    v
+-------------------+     +------------------+
| Weekly Planner    |---->| Dependency Mapper |
| (hours budget)    |     | (sequencing)     |
+-------------------+     +------------------+
    |
    v
+-------------------+     +------------------+
| Risk Analyzer     |---->| Task Manager     |
| (failure points)  |     | Export           |
+-------------------+     +------------------+
    |
    v
+-------------------+
| Progress Tracker  |----> Weekly check-ins + milestone reviews
+-------------------+

Workflow Examples

Scenario 1: Career Transition Goal

Input: "Transition from marketing to UX design within 9 months"

Processing:
  - SMART check: Specific (UX design), measurable (hired), time-bound (9 mo)
  - Skills gap: Need to learn Figma, user research, prototyping, portfolio
  - Weekly hours: 12 available

Output:
  4 Milestones:
  M1 (wk 1-6): Complete UX fundamentals course + 2 practice projects
  M2 (wk 7-16): Build 3 case studies for portfolio
  M3 (wk 17-28): Network, apply to 20 positions, do 5 informational interviews
  M4 (wk 29-36): Interview prep, negotiate offer, transition
  Critical path: Portfolio must be complete before applications start
  Risk: Case studies take longer than planned — start simple, iterate

Scenario 2: Writing a Book

Input: "Write and self-publish a 60,000-word nonfiction book in 12 months"

Processing:
  - 60,000 words over 12 months = 5,000 words/month = ~1,250 words/week
  - At 500 words/hour: 2.5 hours/week of writing
  - Additional: editing, formatting, cover design, publishing

Output:
  5 Milestones:
  M1 (wk 1-4): Outline all chapters, research plan
  M2 (wk 5-30): Write first draft (26 weeks at 2,300 words/week)
  M3 (wk 31-38): Self-edit + beta readers + professional edit
  M4 (wk 39-44): Formatting, cover design, publishing prep
  M5 (wk 45-52): Publish on Amazon KDP + initial marketing
  Checkpoint M2: "Do you have 60,000 words in a single document?"
  Buffer: 4 weeks built into M5 for slippage from earlier milestones

Scenario 3: Mid-Plan Recalibration

Input: User is at week 12 of a 26-week plan, behind by 2 weeks

Processing:
  - Milestone 2 was due at week 10, still incomplete
  - Remaining milestones need to compress or scope must reduce
  - Calculates revised timeline with current velocity

Output:
  Recalibration Analysis:
  Current velocity: 8 hours/week (planned: 10)
  At current pace, goal completion moves to week 30 (+4 weeks)
  Options:
    A) Extend deadline to 30 weeks (accept the delay)
    B) Increase weekly hours to 12 for the next 6 weeks
    C) Reduce scope: cut milestone 4 deliverables by 30%
  Recommendation: Option B for 4 weeks, then reassess.
  Revised milestone dates generated and pushed to Todoist.

Best Practices

1. Validate before you plan — Spend the first milestone on validation, not execution. The most common reason goal plans fail is building toward a goal that was never properly validated as achievable or desirable.

2. Budget fewer weekly hours than you think you have — If you have 15 hours available, plan for 10. Life will consume the buffer. Consistently delivering on 10-hour weeks beats frequently failing at 15-hour weeks.

3. Make checkpoint questions binary — Each milestone checkpoint should be answerable with yes or no. Vague checkpoints like "feel more confident" do not provide clear go/no-go signals.

4. Re-plan quarterly, not weekly — The weekly actions are meant to be followed, not constantly reorganized. Adjust the plan at milestone boundaries or quarterly — not every time something feels hard.

5. Celebrate milestones, not just the final goal — A 6-month goal is too far away for sustained motivation. Each completed milestone deserves recognition. Build a small reward into the plan at each checkpoint.

Common Issues

1. Goal is too vague for breakdown — The SMART validator will catch this and ask for refinement. If you cannot make it specific, start with a 4-week exploration milestone to clarify what you actually want.

2. Weekly hours keep getting stolen by other commitments — Block your goal hours on your calendar as non-negotiable appointments. Treat them like meetings you cannot reschedule.

3. Milestones feel too large — If a milestone spans more than 8 weeks, it should be split into two. The planner auto-suggests splits when milestones exceed the recommended duration.

Privacy & Data Handling

All goal plans, milestone data, and progress tracking are stored locally in ~/.goals/plans/. No personal goals or career aspirations are transmitted externally. Task manager integrations write only to your own accounts using your API credentials. Notion and Google Sheets exports go to your own workspaces. The skill does not share your goals, timelines, or progress with any third party. You can delete individual goal plans or all planning history by removing files from the ~/.goals/ directory.