I often write down my goals in a tiny notebook that I keep close to my bed. Most of the time, I don’t go back and read what I wrote — I just move on to the next.
But maybe I’ll start revisiting the aspirations in my notebook after reading Julia Stewart’s success story. Stewart, who became IHOP’s first-ever female CEO in 2002, types out her “life’s goals,” then prints and frames them on her desk.
It’s something the 68-year-old has been doing for roughly five decades, and says it helped her succeed in her career.
“I started my first life goals when I graduated from high school. I’ve changed them, usually, around every 10 years,” Stewart says. She’s spent about two decades as a chief executive, currently at Alurx, a wellness company she founded in 2020, 3 years after leaving IHOP's parent company, DineEquity. 
Her goals have always focused on three categories, she says: career, personal life and giving back. Right now, her list contains 10 entries, ranging from the family-centric — “love, encourage, and commit to” her husband Tim; “love and nourish” her children — to work goals like “build Alurx to be the #1 wellness app” and “mentor women from all walks of life.”
The list also includes personal reminders: be a great friend; practice gratitude every day; take care “of my body, heart, and soul.”
There’s something useful about writing your goals down, experts say — both the short-term and long-term ones. It can help you think more strategically about what you want to achieve and make it easier to track your progress.
Looking back, there are several goals that I’ve met, but haven’t celebrated, simply because I forgot about them. Though I probably won’t keep them framed at my desk, I’ll set them as my phone's lock screen as a constant reminder.

CNBC