Goal setting can help you create a realistic plan to put you on the right path to accomplishing your goals or objectives. Goal setting can help boost your engagement and provide a sense of purpose. If you are having trouble achieving your business or personal goals, you're not alone. It might be time to change your approach to goals. Whether you have small dreams or lofty expectations, setting goals allows you to plan how you want to move through your life.
Write your goals down
When setting goals, they should answer the highly specific questions of who, what, where, when, and why. For each specific goal you make, you should ask yourself why it is a goal and how it helps your life goals. When you write your goals down, they become real and tangible instead of a vague idea that resides only in your mind. Once you’ve written your goals down, keep them somewhere visible put personal goals up on your mirror or near your computer screen, put team goals up on the walls next to everyone’s desks, and include company goals in internal presentations. This tactic reminds you to keep working on your goals daily. As you're writing down your goals, use a positive tone so you stay excited about completing them
Break your goal down.
This is especially important for big goals. Think about the smaller goals that are steps on the way to achieving your bigger aim. Sometimes our big goals are a bit vague, like 'I want to be healthier'. Breaking these down helps us be more specific. So a smaller goal might be 'go running regularly' or even 'to be able to run around the park in 20 minutes without stopping'. Write down your smaller goals and try to set some dates to do these by too. Having several smaller goals makes each of them a bit easier and gives us a feeling of success along the way, which also makes it more likely that we'll stay on track towards our bigger goal. A goal is something you want to achieve. It’s the desired result that you, or a group of people, plan and commit to achieving. Goals are often long-term. They relate to people’s life and career plans or the long-term goals of a company or organization. Put it simply , a goal is a dream with a deadline. Still a bit confused? Here are some characteristics of what goals are and what they aren’t.
A goal is:
- Your vision for the future. Goals should be the result of careful consideration of a personal vision statement and things you want to achieve.
- Time-sensitive. The most effective goals are time-bound. Goals generally have a longer time frame. They can then be broken down into smaller, short-term objectives.
- Large in nature. Don’t be afraid to set a goal that seems like a reach. Feel free to think outside the box and dream big. You can set smaller, short-term goals to help you get there.
A goal is not:
- An objective. While goals describe what you want to achieve, objectives are the steps taken to reach the goal. For example, “I want to become a confident public speaker” is a goal. “I will work with a coach to practise my public speaking skills by the end of this month” is the objective.
- A resolution. Resolutions are often temporary, giving short-term gratification (opposed to delayed gratification). While a resolution is a decision to do or not do something, a goal is what you want to achieve.
- A mission. Mission statements create a clear and focused direction to follow. It’s the statement of purpose from which a company, business, or individual operates. On the other hand, a goal is a specific aim you or your team works toward.
Choose Goals That Are Worthwhile
Pretty well everyone knows that there's no point in setting a goal that you will never be able to accomplish. Choose worthwhile goals you would think would go without saying, but lots of people set meaningless goals and then wonder why they don't feel any sense of achievement. . If a goal isn't engaging, you'll get bored and abandon it. Remember that the purpose of goal setting is to move us forward and spur positive change. If a goal doesn't have this motivating, transformational quality, don’t bother with it. You'll just be disappointed. Develop an action plan that clearly outlines your goals and how you intend to achieve them.
Adjust your goals periodically.
You may find yourself set in your ways concerning broad life goals, but take the time to re-evaluate your smaller goals. Are you accomplishing them according to your time frame? Basically, you need to decide why you're setting this goal for yourself and what it will accomplish. Allow yourself the flexibility to adjust your goals. You need to keep your motivation strong to complete your goal. Consider scheduling a weekly evaluation, which could include measuring your progress and checking your schedule. Once you see how close the finish line is, you’ll feel more motivated to push through to the end
Reward Yourself for Accomplishment
Internal satisfaction is a great thing, but external rewards can be immensely satisfying, too. When you accomplish a goal, you've devoted time and effort to your success, so take the time to celebrate your success, too. One caveat: don't undermine your efforts by choosing an inappropriate reward. Eating a huge slab of cheesecake is not an appropriate reward for losing 20 pounds; for example, a new outfit would be a more suitable choice.
Key Takeaways
Setting goals can help you establish a short, medium, and long-term strategy for success. Effective goal setting includes having goals that are worthwhile, achievable, and specific. Prioritize your goals and make them public to help keep you stay committed. It helps to evaluate and track your progress, quantifying your results along the way. Keep setting goals. Once you have achieved goals even major life goals you will want to continue to grow and set new goals for yourself.