Have you ever been in a state where you don’t know what you want in life?
Perhaps you know exactly what you want to achieve, but have no idea how to get there.
That’s where goal setting comes in. Goals are the first step towards planning for the future, and play a fundamental role in the development of skills in various facets of life, from work to relationships and everything in between. They are the target at which we aim our proverbial arrow.
Understanding the importance of goals and the techniques involved in setting achievable goals paves the way for success.
What is goal setting?
Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life.
Types of goals:
There are three types of goals- process, performance, and outcome goals.
- Process goals are specific actions or ‘processes’ of performing. For example, aiming to send 100 emails in a day. Process goals are 100% controllable by the individual.
- Performance goals are based on personal standards. For example, aiming to burn 1000 calories a day. Personal goals are mostly controllable.
- Outcome goals are based on winning.
Importance of goal setting
Setting goals gives you long-term vision and short-term motivation. It focuses on your acquisition of knowledge and helps you to organize your time and your resources so that you can make the most of your life.
Steps involved:
Set goal —> Make plan —> Get to work —> Stick to it —> Reach goal
Benefits of goal setting
Helps You Stay Focused
All of us yearn to scale great heights in life, but how many of us truly end up doing that? Perhaps, very few. The primary reason behind this is that most people lose focus on the way and consequently flounder. The greatest importance of goal setting is that it helps you stay focused to achieve what you seek. It acts like a steering wheel that maneuvers you in the right direction. Focus is the key.
Assists In Overcoming Procrastination
Goal setting also helps you overcome procrastination. The habit of procrastination is one of the biggest frailties of human nature, which severely jeopardizes the chances of one’s advancement. However, if you have a set goal for yourself, you will always be on the ball and do as required to achieve it. However, you will waste less time on insignificant or unproductive actions and take a more direct route to the accomplishment of the goal.
Measures Your Progress
Goal setting works as a measuring gauge of your progress that enables you to evaluate your advancements from time to time. You will have a clear idea of what you have been able to achieve so far, what you lack or how can you improve yourself.
Sets Barriers
It helps you set barriers. Setting clear, solid goals for yourself gives you a firm fenceline. It creates an invisible barrier, whereby you decide what you want, what liberties you have, and what distractions you need to get rid of, in order to expedite your progress towards achieving your goal. It also induces some sense of accountability towards yourself.
Enables You To Manage Your Time
By setting goals, you will be able to manage your time to your maximum benefit. You will have a clear idea of what you have to achieve in a particular frame of time. Thus, you can channel all your energy and concentration towards achieving it. You can split one major goal into a number of short-term goals bound by certain limits of time, which will make the task easier. Moreover, it increases your productivity and efficiency manifold.
Motivates
Motivation is an important ingredient that steps up one’s prospect of achieving one’s personal milestones. Assigning yourself with some short-term goals will help you accomplish them in less time and will give you an added sense of achievement that can motivate you to perform better. Once motivated, you will set higher and higher limits for yourself and will be achieving more and more in due course of time.
Stress-Free Life
A clear goal and an efficacious game plan can make your existence more organized. By having a clear goal in your mind, you will be well aware of your priorities and with an effective time management strategy, you will be able to achieve your goals with little exertion. You will also be devoid of any mental stress, which will further enhance your productivity and efficiency.
Every goal should be concrete and specific. However, it is very important to identify what you are striving for and commit yourself wholeheartedly to achieving it.
