It is yet I consider it a practical matter: Goal-setting is a very powerful tool for this reason: It's easier to "see the finished goal" and work towards it by whatever means are at your disposal (affordances is the term I think) - rather than progressing from past causes, to particular pre-made pathways. We can lose sight of the goal during the journey if we focus excessively on the linearity of it all. Sometimes the situation allows us to complete STEP Q before STEP B.