7 Great Goal-setting tips

21 Feb 7 Great Goal-setting tips

1. Write them down. Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominican University in California, did a study on goal-setting with 267 participants. She found that you are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals just by writing them down.

2. Practise daily goal setting. Write your top 10 goals every single day as soon as you get up. Brian Tracy, the best-selling author and success coach, did this every day, and this habit has transformed his life forever.

3. Create a scoreboard. What do you need to do if you want to lose weight? The first step is to weigh yourself. You need to know where you are to formulate a plan to reach your goals. Most people never do this, and they wonder why they are not making progress. When you watch football or cricket what do you look at the first thing? The scoreboard, why? The scoreboard tells you the score, which game it is, who is winning and how much time is left. And this is what you need for your goals too.

4. Practice the ‘Big 5′. What you need to do is to take five small steps that will lead you toward your goals each day. The steps can be as small as sending an email or researching what sort of outfit your character would wear. Whatever you do, you must make sure you are taking action and moving toward your goals. The action is the bridge that connects your dream and your reality.

5. Keep a Journal. While many of us have our pet writing projects, one of the best ways to improve your writing (and support your personal development) is to keep a separate journal. Use a tool like 750 Words or One Page Per Day and write whatever comes to mind. If you find it too difficult to just sit down and start writing, you can plan out a goal for your journal beforehand—it keeps you focused without burdening you with rules.

6. Make it manageable. Instead of saying, “I’m going to spend less time on social media, rather set a goal to say, “I’m going to shut down from social media by 8 pm”. This way it is easier to measure and you know if you are hitting your targets you have set or not.

7. Track Progress. Keeping a record of how far you’ve come will encourage and stimulate you to not give up. It’s easy to forget the progress you’re making… and this helps you stay positive.