When you practice proper goal-setting techniques, using the right process ensures that your goals will help you achieve more in life. Goals help you achieve more by clarifying what you want, setting a time limit, and setting up the steps or actions that lead to the desired result.

Provide Direction

Without goals, your life has no direction. Now understand that a goal alone isn’t enough. You must use the proper goal-setting process to produce action steps to achieve your desired achievement. Learn the SMART or SMARTER goal-setting process to get excellent at goal setting.

Identify What’s Important

The goal-setting process also helps you determine the most important for achieving the stated results. As you work on setting a goal, you may realize that the plan you thought you wanted isn’t realistic or something you desire, thus helping you avoid time wasters.

Identify Action Steps

The other factor involved with goal setting is producing action steps that you can perform over time to get the desired result—for example, writing five hundred words a day toward completing your novel—or cleaning one drawer out daily to declutter your home. Whatever you want to do, whether buying a house, starting a business, or something else, can happen with goal setting.

Help Track Progress

Within the goal-setting process, you will also produce benchmarks and numbers that help you track what’s working and note anything not producing the expected results.

Keep You Motivated

It’s incredibly encouraging to see your progress and will provide more motivation than anything. See where you were and where you wanted to go; the gap in between will make you want to do more.

Make You Accountable

Proper goal setting also includes accountability which will help you stick to your plan. If you want to achieve more, you’ll need to keep track of what you’ve done and what you are doing while also taking responsibility for your action or inaction.

Clarify Decisions

As you work through the goal-setting process, you’ll find yourself feeling more precise about the choices you need to make. When decision-making is based on data and not feelings, you’ll find yourself steeped in success.

Define Success

The final thing that goals help you with is giving you a target to shoot for that defines success. For example, if you are trying to save enough money to retire early, you’ll find a way to get the funds needed based on a formula created by experts. When you reach that number, you know you’ve succeeded.

The goal-setting process answers the questions: What do I want? Why do I want it? When do I want it? How will I accomplish it? Who will help? For example, suppose you have a goal of walking 1 hour a day, but you currently walk zero minutes a day. The process will reveal a way for you to work up to walking 1 hour a day in an effortless way that considers roadblocks, strengths, and the time you can realistically devote.

Until next time, stay safe, and keep the faith.