Your NDIS goals are the things you want to work towards, and they help shape the supports in your plan. A new year, a new plan or an upcoming plan reassessment is a good time for a fresh start. This guide gives you a simple way to work out what matters to you, turn it into clear goals, and avoid common mistakes, with example goals you can adapt.
Goal-setting can feel overwhelming, especially if you are new to the NDIS. You don’t need to get it perfect. The steps below can help.
Why Goal-Setting Matters in Your NDIS Journey
Here is why your goals are worth some thought.
Goals Shape Your NDIS Plan
When you meet with your my NDIS contact (often a local area coordinator) or an NDIA planner, they will ask about your goals in different parts of your life, such as daily living, social participation, work, and health and wellbeing. The NDIA says your goals help it understand which supports and funding might be needed in your plan. Setting more or bigger goals doesn’t mean more funding, and the NDIA only funds supports that are reasonable and necessary. Clear goals make it easier to explain why a support would help you.
From April 2027, the NDIA begins introducing a new way of planning, with adults moving across in stages. Planning meetings may look different, but the tips in this guide will still help you get ready.
Goals Give Your Support Direction and Purpose
Once your plan is in place, your goals guide your work with support workers and other providers. At Lanara, your goals shape the support we give, from the skills we help you practise to how we check progress with you.
Goals Empower You to Take Control
The NDIS is designed to be participant-led, which means you are meant to be at the centre of decisions about your support. Setting your own goals is one way to use that control, especially if you have spent years having decisions made for you. Your goals are your voice.
Goals Help You Measure Progress and Celebrate Achievements
Clear goals let you see how far you have come and where you might need different support. They also help you show how your supports are working when it is time for your next plan reassessment.
The Difference Between NDIS Goals and New Year’s Resolutions
Resolutions and NDIS goals are similar, but not the same.
Resolutions tend to be broad, like “I want to get healthier”, with no clear steps behind them, so they often fade.
NDIS goals work best when they are more specific: clear enough to help with planning, realistic with the right support, and meaningful to you. They are about what you want to do and what support would help you do it.
Still, if you often think “I wish I could…” or “I would love to…”, those thoughts can become NDIS goals. The key is to make them clear and practical.
How to Set Realistic, Meaningful NDIS Goals
These practical tips can help. They are general guidance, not NDIA rules, so use what works for you.
Start with What Matters to You
Ask yourself: what do I want my life to look like? This is about your values and interests, not what other people think you should want. The NDIA says your goals can be big or small, short term or long term.
Think about different parts of your life:
- Daily Living: Are there tasks you would like to do more on your own? Are there routines that feel hard or stressful?
- Social and Community Participation: Would you like to make new friends, join a group or activity, or feel more connected to your community?
- Relationships: Are there relationships you want to strengthen, or new connections you want to make?
- Health and Wellbeing: Is there part of your physical or mental health you want to improve or maintain?
- Learning and Development: Are there skills you want to learn or hobbies you want to try?
- Employment and Education: Would you like to work, study or volunteer? What steps would help you get there?
There are no wrong answers.
Use the SMART Framework (Adapted for NDIS)
SMART is a common goal-setting tool. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. The NDIA does not require you to use it, but it can help you make a goal clearer.
Specific: Be as clear as you can. Instead of “I want to be more independent”, try “I want to make my own breakfast three times a week”.
Measurable: How will you know you have got there? What will progress look like?
Achievable: Aim for something that stretches you but is within reach with the right support. It is fine to start small and build from there.
Relevant: Make sure the goal matters to you. It also helps to think about how your disability affects this part of your life and what support would make a difference.
Time-bound: Pick a timeframe, like three or six months. It helps you keep momentum.
Break Big Goals into Smaller Steps
Big goals like “I want to live independently” can feel overwhelming, so break them into smaller steps. For example, if your big goal is to live independently, smaller steps might be:
- Managing my own medication
- Learning to cook simple, healthy meals
- Building confidence using public transport
- Learning to manage a household budget
- Practising solving everyday problems
Each step can become a goal of its own, with support to help you reach it. The NDIA also suggests including short-term goals that lead towards your bigger, longer-term ones.
Think About What Supports You Need
For each goal, ask yourself what would help. A support worker to help with tasks or come with you to activities? Skill-building, or allied health such as occupational therapy? Equipment or assistive technology? Help with transport?
Being clear about this helps the NDIA understand what you need, and helps providers like Lanara shape support around your goals.
Be Honest About Barriers and Challenges
Think about what might get in the way: access, anxiety or low confidence, transport or money. Naming these is not negative. It is realistic, and it helps your plan include the support you need.
Examples of Effective NDIS Goals
Here are some sample goals. Use them as ideas, then write your own in your own words.
Daily Living Goals
- “I want to build the skills and confidence to shower and dress on my own, with prompting from a support worker, within six months.”
- “I want to learn to cook three simple, healthy meals I enjoy, with a support worker helping me build my cooking skills over the next year.”
- “I want to manage my own medication, using a Webster pack and reminders, within three months.”
Social and Community Participation Goals
- “I want to go to a weekly art class in my area, with a support worker helping me get there and settle in, starting within two months.”
- “I want to make two new friends by joining a group that shares my interests, with support to find one, over the next year.”
- “I want to visit the library once a fortnight, with support to learn to get there by public transport on my own.”
Health and Wellbeing Goals
- “I want to feel less anxious day to day by working with a psychosocial support worker on ways to cope, over the next year.”
- “I want to go for a 30-minute walk three times a week, with a support worker helping me build a routine.”
- “I want a more regular bedtime routine, with support to build better sleep habits over the next three months.”
Learning and Skill Development Goals
- “I want to improve my reading and writing by going to a weekly literacy class, with support to get there and practise at home, over the next year.”
- “I want to learn basic budgeting, with a support worker helping me practise in real situations, within six months.”
- “I want to improve my communication by working with a speech pathologist and practising with my support worker in everyday situations, over the next year.”
Employment and Education Goals
- “I want to find a volunteer role in my area, with support to look at options, within six months.”
- “I want to complete a short course in [area of interest], with support to enrol and keep up, over the next year.”
- “I want to build skills for work, like being on time, communicating and finishing tasks, through supported work experience over the next year.”
Each goal is specific, has a timeframe, and names the support that would help.
Common Goal-Setting Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Watch out for these.
Mistake 1: Goals That Are Too Vague
“I want to be more independent” or “I want to be happier” don’t say much about what support would help. Ask yourself: what would that look like? What would I be doing differently?
Mistake 2: Not Showing How Your Disability Affects the Goal
Your goals can be about anything you want to work towards. But the NDIS only funds supports that are related to your disability and are reasonable and necessary. So for a goal like “I want to go on a holiday”, think about what makes it hard because of your disability, and what would help. For example: “I want to build the skills and confidence to travel with support.”
Mistake 3: Goals That Are Too Ambitious Without Steps
Without smaller steps, big goals can feel overwhelming, and it is harder to see what support you need.
Mistake 4: Focusing Only on What You Cannot Do
Try to say what you want to achieve, not only what is hard. Instead of “I struggle with social situations”, try “I want to build my confidence in social situations by joining small group activities with support.”
Mistake 5: Not Reviewing and Adjusting Goals
Your goals can change as you make progress or your life changes. Check in on them regularly with the people who support you. If you want to change the goals in your plan, you can contact the NDIA or your my NDIS contact.
How Lanara Supports You to Achieve Your Goals
We see ourselves as your partner in working towards your goals. Here is how.
We Listen and Understand
Before support starts, we take time to understand your goals, strengths and challenges.
We Bring Expertise and Experience
Every one of our support workers holds a university degree in psychology or a related discipline and has completed mental health and trauma-informed training. This psychology-informed approach helps with the emotional side of goals, like building confidence and getting back on track after a setback.
We Break Goals into Manageable Steps
We work with you to break big goals into smaller steps, and we celebrate each small win along the way.
We Provide Consistent, Reliable Support
Reaching goals takes time. We aim for you to have a regular support worker who gets to know you and your goals.
We Track Progress and Adapt
We check in with you about how things are going, and if something is not working, we change our approach. We agree with you how and how often you would like updates.
We Advocate for You
When your plan is due for reassessment, we can help you think through your goals. With your consent, we can give you a summary of the support we have provided, so you can show what has helped.
Taking the First Step in 2026
Start by thinking it through, on paper, on your phone or with someone you trust. Ask yourself:
- What do I want my life to look like this year?
- What would help me feel more independent, connected or fulfilled?
- What have I always wanted to try but haven’t had the support to do?
- What small step could I take this month towards a bigger goal?
If you have an upcoming NDIS plan reassessment, now is a good time to prepare. Think about what is working, what isn’t, and what to focus on next. Keep notes on your progress. Talk with your support workers, other providers and support coordinator about your goals and the support you need.
If your functional capacity and support needs, or your living, education, work or informal support arrangements, change in a significant and ongoing way before then, you, your plan nominee or your child representative can ask for an early plan reassessment. The NDIA has 90 days to decide. For smaller, short-term or urgent changes, a plan variation may suit better.
A Message of Encouragement
You are capable of more than you might realise. With clear goals and the right people in your corner, change is possible. Your goals don’t have to be grand. Small steps, like learning a skill or making a new friend, add up.
At Lanara, we believe in your right to live the life you choose, and we are here to walk alongside you. Let your goals be ambitious enough to inspire you and realistic enough to reach.
If you would like to talk with us about your NDIS goals, or about getting ready for a plan reassessment, contact us, call 1300 152 627 (1300-1-LANARA) or email info@lanara.com.au. We aim to respond within one business day, and the first conversation is no-obligation.
Here’s to fresh starts and goals that mean something to you.