If you're looking for more structure on how to set and achieve goals, take a look at the OUTLR PURPOSE PLANNER
What is Goal Setting?
Some people may have trouble sticking to goals because they don’t distinguish their goals from more casual, everyday self-improvement efforts. Just because you decide to start doing something every day doesn’t necessarily make that a conscious goal. So let’s revisit what goal setting means.
Goal setting is a purposeful and precise process that starts with identifying a new objective, skill, or project you want to achieve. Then, you make a plan for achieving it, and you work to complete it.
What's the Point?
When you set goals, you take control of your life’s direction. Goals provide you with focus. The decisions you make and the actions you take should bring you closer to achieving those goals.
Setting goals keeps you moving and increases your happiness. When you set goals, you create a vision of what your life could look like. Then you start pushing yourself to get the best results possible.
Differentiate Goals From Habits
I really like this simple "rudder & oar" metaphor from James Clear;
Imagine a small rowboat. Your goals are like the rudder on the boat. They set the direction and determine where you go. If you commit to one goal, then the rudder stays put and you continue moving forward. If you flip-flop between goals, then the rudder moves all around and it is easy to find yourself rowing in circles.
However, there is another part of the boat that is even more important than the rudder: The oars. If the rudder is your goal, then the oars are your process for achieving it. While the rudder determines your direction, it is the oars that determine your progress.
How to Set Goals You'll Actually Follow
Your Life Story
How do you define your goals? Well, you need a Valuable Aim in Life, not 3 years, not 5 years, not 10 years... Life. A valuable aim is your north star. Goals are the ladder rungs on the climb to your Aim.
Setting a Valuable Aim is your opportunity to write your own life story. This long-term focus shifts your search area from what brings you happiness to what will give your life meaning—the pursuit of a challenging and worthwhile aim.
- What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
- What issue do you want to solve that people say is “too big” to tackle?
- In 25 years, you’re giving a TED talk: what is the topic of your speech?
- What do you want your obituary to say?
- Who is your hero? what does their life look like?
Ruthlessly Eliminate Your Goals
Psychologists have a concept they refer to as “goal competition.”
Goal competition says that one of the greatest barriers to achieving your goals is the other goals you have. In other words, your goals are competing with one another for your time and attention. Whenever you chase a new goal, you have to pull focus and energy from your other pursuits.
Sometimes you just need to reorganize your priorities a little bit and suddenly progress comes much more quickly because you are now fully committed to a goal that was only getting moderate attention previously.
How to Achieve Your Goals Consistently
Evaluate Your Motives
Do you truly believe that pursuing this goal is important?
Do you want to achieve this goal personally, or are you doing it to please someone else?
Are you pursuing this goal because the situation that you find yourself in seems to demand it?
Is this goal part of a deeply felt personal dream?
Set SMART Sub Goals
Working backwards from your deadlines and the main goal are there any sub-goals that you can achieve along the way? For example, if you want to run a marathon you might start with 5km then move onto a 10km and so on
Habits & Skills
List the habits and skills you need to achieve your goal
List your top reasons for failing > Solutions
Think about why you might fail and what the solutions would be
Think about who can help?
List the people or support network that can help you achieve your goal
How can you stack the deck to succeed?
How can you tie things together so there is a higher chance of success, for example, training with friends, clearing junk food out of the house etc
Where to Go From Here
I hope you found this blog on goal setting useful. If you're looking for more structure on how to set and achieve goals, take a look at the OUTLR PURPOSE PLANNER
Bodhi Bones
