How often do you set a goal but completely forget it days later? Does it happen a lot more than you’d like to admit? If so, then there is no shame in that. Many people don’t have the proper techniques and strategies to meet their goals.
In fact, a study shows that 92% of people fail to achieve their New Year’s Resolution. Since goal setting is not a cakewalk, you must set the groundwork for a successful journey to goal attainment.
This post will cover several goal-setting activities that you can try in your own life. You’ll be able to make substantial progress toward your goals.
What is Goal Setting?
Goal setting is about specifying desired outcomes and taking the required steps to make them a reality. Although it might sound simple, it’s somewhat tricky.
In 1990, Locke and his colleague Gary Latham explored goal setting in their book A Theory of Goal Setting and Task Performance. The book discusses how specific and challenging goals, coupled with feedback and support, lead to higher performance levels.
Why are some people able to perform better than others? It all comes down to goal setting. Most people aren’t aware of how to develop goals properly.
They either set vague or unrealistic goals; both are not ideal for success. Or even worse, some could have unfound confidence in meeting their lifelong dreams.
They need to take advantage of goal-setting activities to accomplish more. But before going into that, we must better understand the importance of goal setting.
Why is Goal Setting Important?
Tony Robbins once said, “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” And he’s absolutely right.
However, most people have big dreams but don’t put their best foot forward. They spend their days living on autopilot, going through the motions without pausing to envision a life where they fulfill their aspirations.
Realize that your dreams will never see the light if you don’t concern yourself with setting goals. Whether you strive to lose weight or become more productive, goal setting is integral to reaching success.
A lack of goals will cause you to become stagnant and unproductive. You may even lose sight of what you want to accomplish in life.
There are all types of goals you can set, both long-term and short-term. But the key is to stick to your plan and not give up on your dreams. Remember, it takes hard work and dedication to achieve anything worth having.
8 Goal-Setting Activities to Try This Year
Do you want to realize your goals? Below you’ll find 8 goal-setting activities and exercises to accomplish more in life:
1. Define Your Success
This goal-setting activity involves asking yourself, “What is success to me?” There’s no right answer to this question since success has separate meanings to people from all walks of life.
For some, success could be achieving financial stability or reaching a high level of education. Others might define success as being happy and content with their lives or having a close-knit group of family and friends.
Defining your success will help you set specific goals and work hard to achieve them. Since you know your ideal destination, you will find it easier to stay inspired when pursuing your dreams.
When you meet your goals, you’ll be able to look back and feel a sense of accomplishment. So don’t be shy to try out this activity.
It’s as simple as taking a piece of paper and pen to jot down your values and thoughts. You may finally obtain that encouragement to push you toward a brighter future.
2. Set SMART Goals
SMART goals were first introduced in 1981, a popular concept that helps you be more intentional about the goals you set. SMART has 5 criteria: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.
Specific: Be as detailed as possible when defining your goals. It will make the difference between success and failure. To illustrate, instead of saying, “I want to save money,” it’s much better to say, “I will set aside $500 from my paycheck each month.”
Measurable: Developing measurable goals is an integral part of any successful endeavor. Without measurable goals, it’s easy to get discouraged or lost.
You may be unsure if you’re progressing or not even know where to start. By having a tangible way to check your progress, you can more easily see the path from start to finish and make corrections along the way.
You’ll know exactly what you need to do to attain your goals and be more motivated to keep going. This is true whether you’re trying to lose weight, start a business, or anything else.
Attainable: You’ve probably heard the saying, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And that’s true whether your goal is to save $1,000,000 or to get into shape.
Of course, meeting your goals shouldn’t be especially easy. The aim is to find a happy medium between challenging and realistic.
Setting your sights too high will likely discourage you when you don’t reach your goal. In contrast, if you set your goals too low, you’ll never push yourself to reach your full potential.
Relevant: The importance of aligning your goals with your values can’t be understated. Because if it’s not, you’ll likely have difficulty achieving it. Your values are what guide you in life, so ensure your goals are in line with them.
Keep the bigger picture of your life in mind when setting goals. Ask yourself if your goal is part of the bigger picture. If it’s not, it might not be worth your time and energy.
Time-based: Having a deadline gives you something to strive for. If you don’t have one, it’s too easy to stray from the road and lose focus on the essentials. So while taking your time and enjoying the journey is crucial, ensure you have an end date in mind.
3. Create an Action Plan
An action plan outlines the steps you will take to achieve a goal. It is essential to have a plan because it helps you stay on track and ensure you take the steps needed to meet your goal.
Delevoping a plan of action for goal setting is not difficult, but it does require some thought and planning. The first step is to identify your goal.
This may look like a no-brainer, but consider what you truly want to achieve. What are your long-term and short-term goals? What are your personal goals and professional goals?
Here are more questions you may have to ask yourself:
- Do I have the required resources to complete this goal?
- What kind of obstacles should I expect to block my path?
- Is there a date that I must accomplish this goal?
- What ideal results will I aim to achieve?
Creating an action plan is an integral part of setting goals. By developing a plan, you are more likely to accomplish your goals and squeeze out your potential.
4. Review Your Goals Regularly
Review your goals daily if you want to stay the course. This will prevent you from losing fuel over time. It can be easy to lose hope if you don’t remind yourself regularly, so check in with yourself each day.
This may seem overkill, but it’s the best method to ensure that you’re making the daily commitment to meet your goals. When reviewing your goals, make necessary adjustments if you start veering off course.
Don’t let your goals become a distant memory. Review them daily. Store them at the forefront of your mind so that you do everything possible to achieve them.
5. Break Down Your Large Goals
It’s easy to get overwhelmed when we think about everything we want to accomplish. When our goals seem too large or impossible to achieve, it’s time to break them down into smaller pieces.
Breaking down your goals will allow you to direct your efforts to attain them. It will also make it easier to evaluate progress and see how far you’ve come.
For example, you could develop weekly goals to knock down your tasks one by one. Or, you may set monthly goals to progress toward your higher aspirations. This activity is an amazing way to get started on the path to goal achievement.
6. Try Mind Mapping
Mind mapping is a great activity to help you create goals. In order to create a successful mind map:
- Draw a circle in the center of the paper and write your main goal in the center.
- Draw different circles around the primary goal. In each of these circles, write a specific task that you need to do to achieve the goal.
- Start connecting the dots. Draw lines between the different tasks and goals. This will help you determine how each task is connected and what needs to be done first.
You could also make it more detailed by adding potential obstacles, resource requirements, and deadlines. You will be able to design an excellent mind map to visualize your goals.
7. Make a Vision Board
A vision board is a collection of words, images, and other reminders of what you strive to achieve. By keeping your goals front and center, you can better focus on taking the steps needed to make them a reality.
Creating a vision board is easy. Start by finding a quiet place where you can spread out. Gather a stack of magazines, some scissors, and a glue stick. Then, start flipping through the magazines, tearing out any images or words that speak to you.
Once you have a nice pile of potential vision board material, start arranging it on a blank paper or poster board. There are no strict rules here—let your creative juices flow.
Once your vision board is done, hang it in an area where you’ll see it daily. Take a moment to visualize yourself achieving your goals every time you look at them. This simple activity will be a dose of motivation to help you persist against time.
And if you’re looking for an additional boost, try sharing your vision board with a mentor or coach. Why? Because research shows that talking about your goals to a higher-up keeps you more committed and accountable.
8. Backward Goal Setting
Setting goals is necessary for any successful individual or organization, yet it’s often done without much thought. People tend to develop goals that are either too small or too big without considering what’s realistic or achievable.
The backward goal-setting activity is a simple yet practical method of setting goals. Here’s how it works:
- Brainstorming a list of goals you’d like to achieve.
- Start at the end and work backward. For every goal, ask yourself what must be done to achieve it.
- Write down the steps you must take to accomplish each goal. Make sure each step is realistic and achievable.
- Now it’s finally time to take action!
The backward goal-setting activity is a fantastic approach to achieving your goals. By starting at the end and working backward, you could break down your goals into manageable steps.
This activity can work for both personal and professional goals. Give it a chance and see how they help you reach your objectives.
Final Thoughts
Goal setting is instrumental in achieving lasting success. From starting a business to boosting your grades, setting goals is key to reaching your ideal results.
But to set the foundation for success, goal-setting activities are necessary. Getting hands-on with your goals will facilitate productivity and action. You’ll be less likely to procrastinate your daily tasks.
Some people find it helpful to create goals for each week or day. Others prefer to set longer-term goals to work towards over several months or years. In either case, be sure to separate your goals into bite-sized pieces.
