# Start Later Goals **URL:** \ **Category:** Newbee\ **Created:** [December 19, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/start-later-goals/9949 "2021-12-19T02:15:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chante77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@chante77](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/chante77)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/start-later-goals/9949/1 "2021-12-19T02:15:40Z")
Is there a way to create a goal to start on a specified date in the future? For example, I want to get some goals set up to automatically start on Jan 1. Is that possible? ---
**Author:** ![shanaqui](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.beeminder.com/shanaqui/32/3513_2.png) [@shanaqui](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/shanaqui)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2021, 2:19am UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/start-later-goals/9949/2 "2021-12-19T02:19:06Z")
Ah, useful to know you weren’t sure about this! Yep, this should be doable: you can set a goal up with leeway, and that will mean it stays flat until the date you want it to start; you just need to know how many days until the date you want the goal to start. ---
**Author:** ![lmb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@lmb](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/lmb)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 2:11am UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/start-later-goals/9949/3 "2022-01-18T02:11:42Z")
Hi, I have the same question. I’d like to have a the red line stay flat for a couple of weeks while I get started on my goal. It’s nice to know that it can be done, but I’ve just tried to set up a goal three times and can’t for the life of me figure out where/how to set the start date. Shanaqui, can you give more details? ---
**Author:** ![shanaqui](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.beeminder.com/shanaqui/32/3513_2.png) [@shanaqui](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/shanaqui)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:01am UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/start-later-goals/9949/4 "2022-01-18T11:01:48Z")
You should be able to do that using the “extra leeway” option during the goal’s setup: ![image](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/beeminder/original/2X/a/a6d388cfae009f1831828960c1ebcf174abc5fd2.png) Sounds like “extra leeway” didn’t sound like it meant being able to postpone the start date? Or was it more a matter of missing that checkbox? It’d be useful to know which! Knowing that kind of thing can help us decide how to prioritise elements in the UI – thanks for sharing that you found this difficult to figure out, either way! ---
**Author:** ![lmb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@lmb](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/lmb)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:30pm UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/start-later-goals/9949/5 "2022-01-18T23:30:37Z")
That option doesn’t seem to be available for the “lose weight” goal. I did see it when I set up my other goals, but not that one. ---
**Author:** ![shanaqui](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/forum.beeminder.com/shanaqui/32/3513_2.png) [@shanaqui](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/shanaqui)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2022, 11:40pm UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/start-later-goals/9949/6 "2022-01-18T23:40:20Z")
Ah, yes! The lose weight goal type doesn’t start out with a user-defined rate, just a super-low default rate, so that acts as initial leeway in those cases. (For a weight goal, even having the graph absolutely flat won’t prevent you derailing – if you enter a weight above the line, it’s a derailment either way.) You’d be best off starting with plenty of fluctuation buffer (the answer to “how much does your weight change in one day” question), if you want to experiment with a weight goal without too much risk of a derailment. When I started my goal, I think I started with a ridiculous amount of buffer, like 10lbs, and then ratcheted it away later when I was sure how my scale weight behaves. ---
**Author:** ![lmb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@lmb](https://forum.beeminder.com/u/lmb)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2022, 11:35pm UTC](https://forum.beeminder.com/t/start-later-goals/9949/7 "2022-01-19T23:35:40Z")
Super helpful, thanks!