Let’s imagine you’ve established a good system that has helped you complete a wide range of goals. For certain simple goals, this system might hold up!
But when it comes to goals that really challenge you, this system goes into disarray. You’ve tried and tried again, but nothing seems to help motivate you.
A great way of managing a challenging goal is through goal setting.
What is goal setting?
In psychology, goal setting refers to a successful plan of action that we set for ourselves.
Think of goal setting as a roadmap.
In order to reach your destination, you need to consider how you’re going to get there – what roads to follow and how long it will take – but you also need to be aware of roadblocks that will impact your ability to complete this journey.
Relating this roadmap back to goal setting – by creating a successful plan of action, you gain a better understanding of how to motivate yourself towards your goal. You’ll have considered what steps to take, how long each will take and how to effectively complete these steps.
It’s important to note that this plan is not set in stone.
When something unexpectedly goes wrong, changes can be made to your plan to set yourself back on track. Considering alternative plans when moving towards your goal could be useful if things don’t work out the way you’d expected.
A study by Locke and Latham (1981) found that in ‘90% of their studies, specific and challenging goals led to higher performance than easy goals, “do your best” goals, or no goals’ at all.
Seeing the success of goal setting on specific and challenging goals suggests that it’s worth trying out.
But how does goal setting help you achieve your challenging goals?
- Goal setting helps keep track of your goals. By monitoring the progress of your goal – using the Ceed app or a bullet journal – you will feel a sense of accomplishment by ticking off a task and relief that you are one step closer to completing your goal.
- Goal setting creates accountability. By creating a plan, you hold yourself accountable for acting on your goal. If this doesn’t work, speak to another person – a Ceed life coach or a friend – that can keep you motivated to stick to your plan and succeed.
- Goal setting enables rewards & feedback. By setting up opportunities to receive feedback and rewards for your achievements, you will feel fulfilled as you gain something for your efforts along the way.
By making goal setting a personal habit, you gain a greater perspective of your progress, and as you visualise your end goal, it becomes easier to advance towards it.
Become accountable for your goals at Ceed – by using our tested methodology, you can perform at your best, every single day.
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