Effective Goal Setting Techniques

Whilst anyone can set a goal, only a few know how to set goals effectively.

Knowing how to set goals the right way (effective goal setting) will not only make things easier for you, but will also vastly increase the chance of you successfully completing your goals.

So in this article on goal setting, we are going to be looking at some effective goal setting techniques that will help you to achieve the goals you set for yourself.

Effective Goal Setting Is A Positive Experience

All personal goals should be expressed in a positive way, because if a goal is expressed in a negative way, you will not be motivated to see it through to completion.

Positive goals should therefore excite you in some way, and give you a sense of urgency which makes you feel as though you want to start working on them immediately.

To set a positive goal think of something you want to do or have. Then ask yourself, “would completing my goal make me happy”?

If the answer is yes, then it is a positive goal. If the answer is no, then ask yourself “Is this really what I want, or do I want something else?”

Once you come up with your positive goals, you can either keep them to yourself or share them with other people.

Sharing the goals you set with other people can help to increase the motivation you receive from them. However be aware that not everyone may be supportive of your goal, and some may try to discourage you from it.

Make Your Goal Setting Precise

One mistake people make when it comes to effective goal setting is not setting a deadline for when they would like to complete something by.

Failure to set deadlines for goals can cause a lack of goal motivation, which often leads to the goal being forgotten about. All goals should therefore have a deadline, so that you will feel a sense of urgency to complete them.

In addition to this all goals should be phrased in a precise manner, so that you know exactly what it is you are trying to achieve.

For example, “I want to be rich” is a very vague goal, and one that does not provide much information as to how you will become rich.

An effective goal setting technique would by to phrase your goal in specific terms. For example, “I want to earn X amount of money, selling X by X”.

It is only when your goal setting is precise will you be able to determine how to achieve your goal, and more importantly, know when you have achieved it.

Prioritise Your Goal Setting

When you have lots of different personal goals it’s difficult to know which goal to start with, or which goals you should focus on.

Your goal setting should therefore be prioritised so that you complete your most important goals first.

This will help to prevent you from feeling overwhelmed, and increase your overall productivity because you are completing your goals one by one.

This is a very effective goal setting technique because once you start to complete your goals, you will find that your motivation to continue goal setting and your overall levels of confidence will quickly increase.

This is because confidence comes from repeated successes, so the more things you can do successfully the quicker your confidence will rise.

Write Down The Goals You Set

Another common mistake people make when it comes to effective goal setting, is not writing their goals down on paper. Some people will tell you that they know what they want to do, and so there is no point in writing it down.

However this is a big mistake, because many studies have shown that people who write down their goals are far more likely to complete them than those who don’t.

The following studies show exactly why it is important to write your goals down on paper:

“In 1964, all members of the Harvard Business School graduating class stated that they have, at graduation, clear goals that they want to accomplish in life. Among them, 5% took the time to write it down on paper.

In 1984, a follow up study was done and it was discovered that 95% of those who wrote down their goals were able to achieve them within 20 years. Among the “lazy” majority, only 5% of them were able to reach their expected goals.

An earlier study in Yale University also had similar results. This time, only 3% of the 1953 graduating class made written goals.

Twenty years after, in 1973, it was found out that this 3% of Yale graduates were able to accomplish more goals than the rest of the other 97% combined.”

So don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can just think about your goals. Make sure you write them down and look at them on a daily basis (ideally at night or in the morning).

Remember, effective goal setting is an active process, which means it will take time and effort if you are to be successful at setting and achieving your goals.

Set Small And Manageable Goals

If you were to set yourself a goal to accomplish something in 30 years (a lifetime goal) it would be very difficult for you to successfully complete it all in one go.

In fact goals like this which are so large and complex are exactly the sort of goals which will scare you off goal setting for good.

It is much better to break goals down into smaller sub-goals, and make each goal as simple as possible.

Once you break a goal down, even the largest goal won’t seem so intimidating anymore. This is because you will know that each goal you complete will take you one step closer to getting what you want.

So make the goals you set as small and simple as possible, and avoid trying to tackle large goals all in one go.

Set Realistic Goals

Effective goal setting also consists of setting realistic goals. A realistic goal is something which challenges you and takes you outside your comfort zone, but at the same time you know it is possible to achieve.

Goal setting that is made up of unrealistic goals should be avoided at all costs, because when you fail to achieve those goals, you will become demotivated and will most likely give up setting goals altogether.

Avoid Setting Goals Which Don’t Challenge You

Just like all personal goals should be realistic, the goals you set should also challenge you in some way.

If you set goals which are too low, and don’t challenge you, two things will happen:

• You won’t become motivated to achieve your goals because the prospect of its completion doesn’t excite you.

• After you complete your goal you won’t be motivated to set more goals, because reaching your goal didn’t seem like such a big deal.

So always set challenging goals which are just out of your current reach. Goals which you have to stretch to get a hold of.

Enjoy Achieving The Goals You Set

Every time that you achieve a goal you have set for yourself, spend some time to enjoy its accomplishment. The more enjoyment you get from goal setting, the more you will be motivated to keep on setting goals.

In addition to this it is also worth reviewing the goal you have just completed, so that you can gain feedback from that experience to set goals more effectively the next time.

For example, did you complete your goal very easily? Then perhaps next time you should try setting more challenging goals.

Did your goal take longer to complete than you expected? Then perhaps next time you should try setting easier and more attainable goals.

Did you notice that you were lacking any skills or knowledge when you were working on your goal? Then perhaps you can set yourself a goal to learn those skills or acquire that knowledge.

The more feedback you can get from asking yourself questions such as these, the more effective your goal setting will become.

Summary Of Effective Goal Setting Techniques

Whilst there are many other goal setting techniques you can use when setting goals, the techniques given in this article should help you to set goals more effectively.

But regardless of the techniques or strategies you use, the important thing to remember is that effective goal setting is an active process, and therefore will require active participation on your behalf.

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