Setting goals is great and all, but a lot of people never achieve them. I’m sure you’ve set a goal or two yourself… but never actually followed through with them. Do you need to be setting more realistic goals? Willpower isn’t the problem—your goals are!
So, you recently set some new goals and oh man they were great. Setting goals is the first step but most people never achieve them because they are not realistic. I know because I’ve done it too. Goals are good. It’s a proven fact that people who set goals accomplish more than those who don’t. But if you don’t set realistic goals, you’ll never stick to them. That’s why it’s important to know how to pick a goal that fits your lifestyle and personality, so it’s actually something you can achieve. Here are some things to think about when setting goals:
1. Be specific
The more specific you are, the better your chances of success. If you say, “I’m going to lose weight,” you’re going to have a tough time sticking to that goal — because there’s no actual target weight in sight. “I want to lose 20 pounds” is better, because it gives you something real and tangible to work toward. You can look at the scale every week and see whether you’ve achieved your goal or if you need to eat less or exercise more. This same principle applies to other types of goals as well: If you say, “I want a better job,” what does that mean? What kinds of responsibilities will it include? How much money will you make? It’s hard for anything general like this to motivate your behavior for a long period of time.
2. Break down large tasks
You can also break down larger tasks into smaller pieces to make them more manageable. For example, if your goal is losing weight in a month’s time, write down all the steps you’ll need to take in order to achieve the goal. Perhaps it means going for a walk every morning and taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. Every day when you check off these boxes, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment which will help motivate you toward your end goal.
3. Track your progress
Once you’ve decided on a goal, start tracking your progress. You could use an app or other productivity methods, or a simple paper notebook works just fine too. Every time you do something to get closer to the accomplishment of your goal, cross it off and note how far along you are in meeting that goal. For example, if your goal is finishing a book by December 31st, every time you finish another page or chapter (or even just read for 30 minutes), cross it out and note how far along you are with that book in the days remaining before December 31st.
4. Have an accountability partner
Simply put, an accountability partner is someone who will hold you accountable for your goals. They will be there for you when you are having a bad day and need some encouragement. When your friends are trying to drag you out for happy hour after work, they’ll be the ones saying no, so you can keep working on your goals! An accountability partner can be someone you know, like a friend or family member; it can also be a stranger from the internet who has no connection to you or your life. This person is going to hold you accountable for your goals, whether that means reminding you to do a task, checking in on you throughout the day, or both.
5. Set realistic goals
One way to make sure you hit your goals is to make sure your goals are realistic. I’ve noticed that when people set unrealistic goals for themselves—goals that they don’t think they can reach—they end up getting really discouraged when they fall short of them. If a runner is training for a marathon, and they’ve never run more than 10 miles at once before, it makes sense that they wouldn’t be able to complete 26.2 miles on race day. They could end up feeling exhausted, frustrated, and ready to give up on running altogether if their first marathon doesn’t go as well as they had hoped for. If you set more realistic goals it might not seam as exciting but you have a lot better chance of actually meeting them. You can always do bigger ones later as you achieve the smaller ones.
Some parting words
By following these key steps, you can set goals that are attainable. You’ll feel great once you achieve them, and your newfound confidence will help you achieve more of your goals in the future. The key to setting goals and sticking to them, is finding the right balance between long and short term goals. That’s really it. Now it’s up to you to apply these tips to your next goal-creating experience. And remember, if you fail at first, that’s not the end of the world—you learned from it, and you will be able to set better goals the next time. With practice and persistence, you’ll become a master at setting goals and achieving them. So take everything we’ve said here into consideration, and then give it a shot for yourself. And who knows what great things you may accomplish once you are on the right track.