Top Ten Ways to Set and Reach Your Goals

Top Ten Ways to Set and Reach Your Goals

By Ruth Anderson

If you made New Year's resolutions this year, you may be very
aware of how difficult it is to stick with new goals. How can
you keep your good intentions? Start by taking a good hard
look at the goals themselves, and then take effective,
focused action to achieve them -- as outlined in the following
ten steps.

Step 1. Don't kid yourself: Choose goals that you
truly care about.

To meet this criterion, they must (a) reflect something of great
value to you and (b) have clear, direct benefits that you will
actively appreciate. A goal that is a reluctant "should," rather
than something you genuinely want and will appreciate often,
is unlikely to be attractive enough to keep you going.

Step 2. Express your goals in a way that points to what you
value and how you will benefit.

If you find yourself using general phrases preceded by "try to"
or "ought to," you haven't yet zeroed in on what you want and
why it is compelling.

Example 1: "I ought to go on a diet."

Much more inspiring: "I want to achieve a weight at which I
feel healthy, comfortable, and attractive."

Example 2: "I'll try to be more efficient at work."

Much more inspiring: "I want to manage my time so that I can
meet deadlines and avoid taking work home."

Step 3. Write a detailed description of how your life will be
improved, and save it to re-read at those inevitable moments
when you lose momentum.

In addition to a compelling statement of the goal itself (see
step 2), your description should include: a list of the specific
ways in which you will benefit, and a description of how you
will feel when the goal is achieved. Write to inspire, so that
you can remind yourself of why this goal was important to you
in the first place.


Step 4. Take stock of what stands in your way.

If you are to devise an effective strategy for reaching your
goal, you will need to understand the lay of the land –
especially, what has gotten in the way of reaching this goal up
until now, and what might get in the way in the future. For
example, does access to junk food in your kitchen sabotage
your diet? Are interruptions at work reducing your efficiency
there? You may even be putting up internal roadblocks to
reaching your goal (see step 5)...

Step 5. Ask yourself how your thinking needs to shift for you
to reach this goal.

If you are quite frank with yourself, are there actually reasons
that you don't want to reach it? You may be surprised when
you consider your answer: often we have a vested interest in
preserving the status quo. Change, after all, involves
challenging or asserting ourselves in new ways – so be ready
to upgrade how you see yourself and your capabilities.

Step 6. Identify three to five specific, measurable actions that
will move you toward your goal.

More than this number is likely to become unrealistic and
overwhelming (see step 7), and fewer may not be enough to
keep you going. Far more important than the number of
actions, however, is how they are defined.

Example 1: I will achieve my target weight by a) exercising
more, b) watching what I eat, and c) keeping junk food out of
my house.

Much more effective: I will achieve my target weight by a)
walking 6 times each week for 30 minutes, b) eating dessert
only once a week, and c) taking a list of healthy foods to the
grocery store and buying only what is on that list.

Example 2: I will become more efficient at work by a) taking
on less work, b) avoiding interruptions, and c) spending my
time on high priority projects.

Much more effective: I will become more efficient at work by
a) meeting with my boss each week to discuss what is high
priority and what can be delegated, b) designating a daily
block of time when my door will be closed and I won't answer
the phone, and c) choosing one high priority task for each of
those blocks of time.

Step 7. Identify not only what you will do, but WHEN
you will do it.

This step, more than any other, may make the difference
between good intentions and actual results. It is essential to
designate time for the actions you will take, or they simply
won't happen. To be realistic, this means that you will have to
eliminate or reduce the time that you were formerly spending
on something else. If you try to stuff a new goal into your
current routine, you're likely to achieve only greater levels of
stress and frustration.

NOTE: If you can't realistically fit your intentions into your daily
life, go back to steps 1 and 6 and reduce the number of goals
and/or actions. Far better to choose fewer steps and get
them done, than to dream over a longer wish list.

Step 8. Create visual reminders and tracking systems for
each action step, and put them where you cannot help but see
them. (Otherwise... out of sight, out of mind.)

In other words, don't just decide to walk 6 times a week – put
an exercise calendar on your refrigerator and write down when
you walk. Similarly, don't just decide to meet regularly with
your boss – schedule the meetings for every Monday on your
calendar and use them to make a list of high-priority tasks that
you post by your phone.


Step 9. Create allies and a support structure.

If you keep your goals to yourself, it's much easier to let them
slide. But if you let a few friends or coworkers know about
them, your resolve will automatically be higher and you may
create helpful allies – coworkers who are less likely to interrupt
when your door is shut, or friends who will offer words of
encouragement.

An even stronger step is to ask someone with a similar goal to
partner with you, or arrange to check in with a friend, family
member, or coach on a regular basis. You can even hire one
of your kids to help track your efforts – they will welcome the
opportunity to remind you of what you are supposed to be
doing!

Step 10. Reward yourself by finding ways to celebrate the
benefits of what you achieve.

To truly make your goal a work-in-progress, instead of some
distant possibility, reap the benefits as you go along. Have you
made progress toward your target weight? Consider buying a
new outfit that feels comfortable and attractive, or joining that
health club you were too self-conscious to go into last year.
Have you met an important deadline on time without taking
work home? Reward yourself by spending an evening doing
something special with people you care about.

Copyright © 2004 by Ruth Anderson