Goal conflict example: 19 better performances

Find goal conflict examples, and how you can overcome them. As a blogger, you’ll sometimes face clashing aims. Anyone else can also experience them, in their personal and professional life. Work smarter, for better success.

Being a self-improvement blogger, goal-setting is an inevitable topic on my site. My readers are generally, other bloggers and digital solopreneurs. Everyone in their personal and professional life benefits from a strategic approach.

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What’s goal conflict?

When you have different aims, 2 or more could end up competing with one another. For your strategy to work, all ideally, must support each other. If not, there will be overwhelm and progress will be slow.

I found a helpful article online. This definition helps with what the term means. It simply conveys the idea. Wikipedia is a sister project of Wikiversity.

‘A goal conflict is the existence of two or more competing goals leading to the cause of conflict in an individual’s mind set. It occurs when two or more motives block each other.’ – wikiversity.org

Goal congruence supports success

Congruence is when your objectives are in harmony. They support each other naturally. In doing so, they align with your overall strategy.

Ideally, you want to have as much alignment as possible. What you want to avoid is competition among your aims. Your short-term aims should work towards your longer-term success.

Goal conflict in organizations

There’s a lot of theory for organizations surrounding this topic. Organizational politics is often involved. It also gets complex with many people concerned.

In the corporate world, differences may arise between departments. In larger organizations, you have different companies in a group. You also have leadership, both formal and informal types.

In my article, I’ll focus on a simpler level. For bloggers and solopreneurs, it’s often at the individual level. You may also collaborate with your peers, and in that case, there will be more minds involved.

For bloggers and solopreneurs

As an individual, you save time by being the one to make decisions. In a team, you may have to consider others’ views. However, whatever your environment, there will be times when objectives clash.

Working on my terms, I have the liberty to cater to my needs. I work for few hours a day (updated), taking a 4-day work week if I need it. I can adjust my agenda around my other responsibilities. I also ensure that I don’t face burnout through self-care.

As a blogger or other digital solopreneur, you may have a similar experience. However, no matter how flexible your schedule, you may sometimes feel like you’re losing some control. When it comes to your aims, some will sometimes compete, despite yourself.

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Goal conflict examples

Many ways you can experience clashing aims. Although most of the time, your objectives work together, there are exceptions. This may cause frustration, a fall in productivity, and slow progress on your projects.

Find 19 examples (non-exhaustive list):

Monetize vs authenticity
Quantity vs quality
AI tools vs originality
Balancing various platforms vs focusing on one
Social media presence vs spare time
Professional image vs personal life
Genuine voice vs styles experimentation
Promote blog vs avoiding self-promotion
Community-building vs personal privacy
Long-term projects vs short-term trends
Industry fads vs niche-specific needs
Promoting others vs niche competition
Collaboration vs creativity and control
Focus on brand vs algorithm changes
Feedback validation vs trust instincts
Copyright protection vs free sharing
Handling negative feedback vs positive attitude
Time management vs self-care
Long-term motivation vs writer’s block

My list of ways is primarily in the blogging context. Digital solopreneurs can also relate to them. However, anyone, from any field might relate to times when they faced competing aims. Read my related post about goal-oriented motivation.

Decision-making trade-offs

Why are there competing aims? Although each situation is different, there could be clashing needs. For example, time, money, and other resources may be limited.

When it comes to blogging, each might approach the matter in their own style. I’ll show some examples of how I tackle them for a better illustration of the idea. In practice, You may prefer the same approach, or tailor it to your situation.

How I tackle the trade-offs (6 examples):

Monetize vs authenticity

It can be tempting to make money, but you may feel that you’ll lose credibility. However, do both at the same time. When your paid solution is helpful, it brings results, making a positive impact on your readers. I don’t have any products yet, but I partner with brands that I trust.

Quantity vs quality

Do you struggle between creating more content and maintaining high quality? I prefer to stick to fewer posts, while consistently publishing better original content.

AI tools vs originality

AI is a great time saver. However, there can be copyright issues. You also could end up with duplicate content, hurting your rankings. I prefer to stay original, and only use AI for research, working smarter.

Balancing various platforms vs focusing on one

Can you thoroughly be on all platforms? Chances are that you’ll experience burnout as an individual. I refuse to spread myself too thin, by focusing on my blog. I mostly share and repurpose my content on social media, and also update older articles.

Social media presence vs spare time

How much time do you allocate to social media? This includes content creation, replying to messages, and engagement. I prioritize my blog, but do spend some time daily, interacting on social media. That leaves me with enough spare time to relax and enjoy life.

Professional image vs personal life

You put yourself out to the world through blogging. You may wonder how much privacy is at stake. I share my experience for my niche, which is mostly professional, not really personal. You can also use a pen name if you choose to.

Tips for balancing conflicting goals

In addition to ways that you can handle competing aims, there are some handy tips. Basically, you should prioritize. You also try to balance both aims, for optimal results.

Tips:

Analyze and prioritize
Overcome conflict
Set realistic and achievable objectives
Track and measure your progress
Seek support and guidance

Don’t miss out on evaluating your results. Measure the actual performance against what you planned for. Find any gaps and fill them. In case of need, ask others for feedback and support.

Conclusion

In my article, I listed goal conflict examples. They were about blogging activities. Take a step back, and see how you can apply the ideas in your specific circumstances.

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Editor’s Note: This blog article was last updated on 10 November 2025 for better accuracy and comprehensiveness.