Goal setting is a direct path to achieving any goals

In this article we will tell you:

1. What is goal setting
2. Basis and objectives of goal setting
3. 9 classic methods and techniques of goal setting
4. Mistakes that interfere with competent goal setting

Goal setting methods greatly speed up the process of achieving what you want. It's no secret that clear goal setting, based on the correct formulation of what you ultimately want to achieve, is already half the success. “I want a wedding” is incorrect, because a desire may mean that you will be a witness at a friend’s wedding.

But the wish “I want to meet a man with whom I will find real happiness and be able to start a family” is much more accurate. Let's figure out why correct goal setting is so important and how goal setting methods help achieve them.

What is goal setting

An indisputable fact is that all people live differently. But in a global sense, their behavior patterns can be divided into two groups: opportunistic and goal-oriented. In the first case, people go with the flow, adapt to circumstances and public opinion. In the second, they set goals for themselves and confidently move in their direction.

People from the first group are accustomed to the way they live and do not want to change anything, even if the situation is not satisfactory. They will worry and become depressed, but will not leave their comfort zone.

The lives of goal-oriented people are just the opposite. They do not go with the flow, but turn it in the right direction. Their main characteristics are success, career advancement, and recognition by society.

What does goal setting have to do with it, you ask? Goal setting is the process of setting goals in the lives of people belonging to the second group. A person sets one big goal, develops a plan to achieve it, and breaks it down into several stages. He also considers possible problems and ways to solve them.

Goal setting is persistent activity that will ultimately lead to the desired result. A person adjusts all his actions in order to get what he wants. The main thing is to set a clear, clear goal. This is one of the main mistakes. For example, you can plan to build a house. The desire is good, but vague. It would be more correct to draw up a project, decide on a location, develop a design, and calculate costs. And so for absolutely all goals.

Why is it needed?

Why is goal setting necessary? Without the ability to set goals, it is impossible to achieve success in life and its individual areas: work, study, love. Consistently defining goals and achieving them helps an individual move forward confidently, conquer new heights, and improve the quality and standard of living. A successful person always knows what he wants and how to achieve it.

He who does not have his own goals lives for others. He becomes driven, controlled. He gives his time and energy to other people, helping to achieve their goals. Those people who know how to set goals become leaders. They are leaders, not followers.

Let us present in the form of a table a general comparative analysis of the conscious and unconscious organization of the goal-setting process according to the main criteria:

Thus, goal setting increases the overall efficiency of life and human productivity, helps manage time and activities, develops awareness and systematic thinking. In addition, it helps to find the purpose and meaning of life, relieves fears and anxieties.

Important! In psychology, it is customary to distinguish two types (types) of goal setting: active (conscious) and passive (unconscious).

Goal setting process

Goal setting is subject to 10 principles:

1. Any activity is an unconscious need. Sometimes the need for it is inherent from the very beginning. A good example is breathing or eating. These are basic needs without which a person cannot live.
2. Every goal has a motive. Its role is played by conscious needs. At some point, motives begin to compete with each other. At such moments, a person needs to choose one, the most important one. Or arrange them in order of importance. The one that comes first is called the goal.
3. The goal appears after the desire acquires clear outlines. Perhaps at first they will have nothing to do with reality.
4. To select a goal, a person uses internal forecasting mechanisms.
5. The predicted result often differs from the achieved one.
6. Goal setting requires drawing up a plan to achieve the goal. But here it is also difficult to predict anything with 100% accuracy. Therefore, do not be surprised if difficulties and obstacles arise.
7. In the process of achieving goals, unforeseen circumstances may arise. Therefore, it is impossible to create a perfect plan.
8. Clear goals are more motivating.
9. The stronger the motivation at the beginning, the more distorted the subjective probability of the goal will be later. It seems to many that if you really want to, you can achieve any goal. However, this statement actually only works for short-term desires. With the long-term the situation is much more complicated. The process of achieving can cause fatigue and frustration.
10. The closer the goal, the stronger the motivation, the more effort the person puts in. In psychology, this phenomenon is called a goal gradient.

So, goal setting is a complex process. It starts with turning desires into clearly defined goals. And then their implementation begins.

Why do we need a goal?

The big problem is that not all people want to find some kind of goal, because not everyone understands why. So everything is fine. But the trick is that if we don’t have a goal, then someone else will set goals for us.

I sometimes joke that if you don’t figure out what to do for the weekend in the spring, you’ll go to your mother-in-law’s house to plant potatoes.

Someone will definitely come up with a case for you and write you into their history. Therefore, if you are really tired of fitting into other people’s stories and you understand that you have not moved with your own for a long time, then you need to bother and set yourself some kind of goal.

The first thing to do is set a goal, set a goal for yourself

. Start doing something for this, because this is also a separate process. When you have set this task for yourself, you will attend some training events, watch videos on YouTube, or pick up and read the book “Start with the Essentials.” You will have more understanding in this direction. Accordingly, the likelihood that you will find where you would like to go increases.

If we take specific tools, then, for example, every day I re-prescribe for myself one thing for life, one thing for 5 years, for someday, for a year, for a week and for a day. Every day I consciously choose what I will do tomorrow.

Sometimes it happens that I don't do my one thing. Sometimes it happens that I don’t do it for 5 days in a row. But at the same time, I have an understanding with which I record that I didn’t do something. I admit that I have lived through the day, dealt with important issues, but these issues most likely do not lead me to my overall goal.

So I try to switch to what needs to be done. It somehow keeps me focused and on my toes.

The relationship between goals and goal setting

How are goals and goal setting related to each other? The first is the end result. The second is a set of actions that will ultimately help you get what you want.

Conventionally, goals are divided into 3 types:

1. Operational. These are momentary, everyday desires, the satisfaction of which does not require tactics and strategy.
2. Tactical. Second level goals. Implemented by achieving operational ones. Determined by a person's values ​​and views.
3. Strategic. The most significant goals in life. Show the path that an individual or group of people will take. They determine the direction of any activity. Achieved through the gradual implementation of operational and tactical goals.

Notably, your goals, both operational and strategic, may change over time. In psychology, this phenomenon is called plasticity. It is associated with a revision of values, a change in life guidelines and priorities, and a change in circumstances. At some point, you may want to adjust your plan of action or even change it completely.

The connection between goal setting and goals is this: you learn to clearly articulate your desires based on values ​​and preferences. And then, having found motivation and internal energy, you develop a strategy and confidently move forward. If something doesn’t work out, then there is an error in the goal-setting process. Perhaps you have set a goal that is not what you really need.

Planning and goal setting

These 2 concepts complement each other. Setting goals, regardless of their level, requires drawing up an action plan. Only in this case will you achieve success. But remember that planning is conditional. You will not be able to protect yourself from unforeseen circumstances.

A person who has mastered planning skills receives a lot of bonuses:

1. Can focus attention on what is truly important.
2. Knows exactly what needs to be done to achieve certain goals.
3. Knows how to get rid of fears, uncertainty, doubts.
4. Has sufficient motivation to move.
5. Understands what decisions will help achieve what you want.
6. Uses resources and skills effectively.
7. Gains confidence in the correctness of actions.

To get these bonuses, you need to understand the operational goals. Only after satisfying your physiological and instinctive needs will you have time to plan more global tasks. You will be able to focus on self-development, career advancement or achieving material wealth.

Errors

The goal-setting process is complex, and errors can be as follows:

• goals do not correspond to the person’s actual desires;
• goals are formulated vaguely, without specifying a date or specific result;
• too many desired results are set at the same time;
• desires that are too simple or too ambitious.

Important! When using one or another goal-setting method, you should carefully study the literature and only after that start writing down your desires.

Thus, goal setting is the process of immediate planning of activities or social functions. There are many technologies for the procedure, but it is worth remembering the general recommendations: the specificity of the desired result, its urgency and compliance with the person’s internal priorities.

Goal setting technologies

A goal, unlike dreams, is not something abstract. This is a completely achievable desire. It's not that difficult to achieve. Special technologies for the goal-setting process will come to the rescue.

SMART

The breakdown of this goal setting method looks like this:

1. Specific. The desire must be specific. Describe the end result as accurately as possible.
2. The result must be tangible or measurable. You need to state in your action plan what you want. Write the amount you plan to earn over a certain period of time, select the brand of car you want to buy. Or give an example for clarity.
3. Don't set unrealistic goals. They must be visible and achievable. Otherwise you will face depression.
4. It is important that the goal remains relevant at the time of its achievement.
5. Time-bound. Give specific deadlines for achieving your goals.

By following this technology, you can avoid disappointment. Your desires will be as realistic and achievable as possible. This means that success awaits you in any case.

Brian Tracy Method

Otherwise called the Brian Tracy exercise. Take a blank sheet of paper. Write down 10 goals on it as if you have already achieved them. Start each paragraph with the word “I”. Also check the date. For example, write that you made your first million by December 31, 2022.

Such recordings will become a kind of order for the subconscious to act in the right direction. Review your goals again. Imagine that you have the opportunity to achieve one of them right now. What will you choose? Which goal will change your life and help you realize your other desires?

Now you need to make an action plan. Don't forget to mention possible obstacles and unforeseen circumstances. Rank the actions in order of importance. Start doing them.

Every day think about your goal, visualize it. According to Brian Tracy, if you do something 7 days a week, your life will definitely change. So why not start today?

Goal setting technology of Gleb Arkhangelsky

The above methods are effective when goals have already been defined. But it happens that the goal has not yet been found, and the conditions for its implementation change at the speed of sound. What to do in such a situation?

1. To set a goal, you need to decide on your life values, consider what areas they influence, and find out the nature of this influence.
2. The set goal should not contradict values ​​and priorities.
3. The process of achieving goals is divided into several levels. Current tasks and needs are always compared with values.
4. Each goal is allocated a certain time period.
5. Cases are divided into hard and soft. The first ones are tied to time or date. The second ones are planned taking into account external circumstances.

And one more important detail. Cases and tasks are grouped into strategic, operational, and tactical. Each of them is given a limited period of time.