How To Set Goals Effectively: Easy To Follow Steps
Goal setting is an essential part of personal growth. Whether you're trying to build a career, develop a fulfilling social life, or just improve certain personal qualities, setting great goals is the first step. The way that you set your goals will affect the way you pursue them. Here are some tips to help you set your goals more effectively.
Make sure your goals are measurable
In order for you to achieve your goals successfully, you will need to be able to track your progress. This is very difficult to do if your goals are vague. When setting your goals, make sure you choose ones that you can easily measure or quantify. For example, if you want to get in shape, setting a goal of going to the gym five times a week is much more effective than just saying you'll go to the gym more often.
Hold yourself accountable
You will be much more motivated to work towards your goals if you have some form of accountability for your actions. For some people, internal accountability is enough. Just tracking your goals every day in a journal can be enough motivation to make them happen. For others, external accountability is necessary for success. If this is you, try telling friends and family about your goals and asking them to check in with you. You'll feel more motivated if you know that other people have expectations of you.
Boosts mood
When a person manages their stress levels better and improves their physical health, their mood will naturally lighten. Journaling is a great way to help the brain overcome emotional turmoil, leaving you feeling happier.
Don't be afraid to change your goals
As your life changes, it is very normal for your goals to change too. If you are feeling stuck on a goal, don't be afraid to adjust it to something more realistic. The ability to adjust your goals can actually help you be happier in the long run. Forcing yourself to put effort into something that just isn't working can actually hold you back from making progress.
Simple Tips To Effective Goal Setting
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Write Your Goals Down
Simple, but often overlooked. Writing down your goals in a journal or notebook is an effective way to keep track of your goals. Write down each goal, and have checkin dates when you can review them. You could even create sections in your journal for short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals.
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Set Realistic and Achievable Goals
By all means reach for the sky and aim big, but just be aware that setting too unrealistic goals can have a negative effect when they aren't achieved.
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Be Specific With Your Goal Setting
If you aren't specific enough with your goals, how will you ever know once they have been achieved? By being specific you have more clarity on what it is you want to achieve. For example, a goal of earning lots of money is rather vague, however, a goal of earning over £40,000 per year is more specific.
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Set Goals That Can Be Measured
This ties in with the above step. Your goals need to have some way of being measured. If they don't, then you simply won't know once you have achieved your desired goal.
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Set a Timeline For Achieving Your Goal
When you assess your goals, also make sure you think about when you want to achieve them by? Your goal might be to be self-employed, but do you want to achieve that goal in 1 year or 10 years.
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Assess Your Goals Continuously
it's important to often look at your goals, and assess if you have completed them, or in fact if they are still even goals you wish for. Over time, our wants and desires change. By checking your goals often, it prevents time being wasted on goals that no longer appeal to you.
When setting your goals, it's helpful to write them down, which solidifies them mentally. Have a look at our own Daily Goal Setter planner, which works both as a productivity planner and gratitude journal - it's specifically formulated to help you be more effective and mindful throughout the day. This beautifully designed journal will be your new favourite accessory.
