---
title: "Annual family and trade-off questions"
description: "Questions asked at planning time so trade-offs are chosen in advance and reassessed every few months."
canonical: https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/start-with-yourself/annual-family-and-trade-off-questions/
updated: 2026-11-03
---

# Annual family and trade-off questions

> Questions asked at planning time so trade-offs are chosen in advance and reassessed every few months.

Emma Grede's framework, from Start With Yourself, pp. 49 to 237.

Framework 3 of 14 from [Start With Yourself](https://tomsharman.com/bookshelf/start-with-yourself/index.md) by Emma Grede. Category: Systems and operations.

## The steps

1. **What would a great year look like?.** Describe the year you want to look back on.
2. **What am I willing to sacrifice, and what gives?.** Name what you will trade away.
3. **What am I not willing to sacrifice?.** Name your nonnegotiables.
4. **What progress do I want to make and where?.** Set the targets.
5. **How do I want to look back in twelve months?.** Test the plan against the end point.
6. **What is important to my kids?.** Check family priorities are in the plan.
7. **Work backward.** Move step by step in chronological order from the year end to today, then turn it into to-do lists and home screen bullets.

## Where it comes from

From chapter: Part Three: Old Thoughts, pp. 49–237

## The animation

24 seconds, 4:5, no sound.

- MP4: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/start-with-yourself/annual-family-and-trade-off-questions.mp4
- MP4, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/start-with-yourself/annual-family-and-trade-off-questions-dark.mp4
- Still: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/start-with-yourself/annual-family-and-trade-off-questions.png
- Still, dark: https://tomsharman-downloads-006143767029.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/downloads/bookshelf/start-with-yourself/annual-family-and-trade-off-questions-dark.png