Goal setting is essential in the planning process en route to long-term success. Without goals, we are merely guessing at our progress, and we lack a repeatable framework for achieving what we want. The framework for goal setting remains unchanged as we move from our personal life into the working world, and setting goals for both are necessary for positive change.
In fact, we can set goals for anything, from our health, careers, relationships, side hustles, to fitness, sleep, and being a better human.
Before we start, I don't want to romanticize this process. It's not about turning your life into mechanical, robotic motion, but simply setting some direction. People who find success without setting goals might in hindsight point to the fact that it was unnecessary; what they fail to realize is that they happenstance stumbled upon success, and it provides no framework to repeat that success. There is no pattern recognition where there are no patterns.
First, we must start by setting our goal. You are likely familiar with the term "SMART" goals (specific, measurable, accurate, relevant, timely), but what else should we consider?
The following series of questions are important to developing a well-rounded goal and addressing a few of the elements of "SMART": 1. What's your "why" for setting this goal? What larger purpose will be served by attempting (and hopefully achieving) your goal?
2. What priority is this goal in your life? What other demands, including those from work, relationships, family, and side projects, will compete for your time and attention?
3. What incentives have you created to reward yourself for achieving your goal, both at the end and along the way?
4. What things are "non-negotiable"? No matter the circumstances, create default decisions to get the work done (note: this helps avoid the inevitable "I just don't feel like" moments).
These questions are applicable whether you're pushing towards losing weight, learning a new language, or making a better attempt to stay in touch with old friends.
Second, we must break up your larger goal into smaller ones in order to move one step at a time. There are three steps to every goal: 1. Macro 2. Meso 3. Micro
The "macro" goal is likely what you pictured in your head. For example, "I want to run the Chicago Marathon in 3:30:00 on Sunday, October 11, 2020." But what about every day in between now and then? How many days a week will you run? How fast? With whom? Where? When? All these smaller questions make up our "meso" and "micro" goals. Meso goals might be what you will accomplish in the month of December. Micro goals might include how you will incorporate your macro goal into your daily routine. It is, after all, the little things that you do consistently well that add up to BIG success. You can't lose 30 pounds all at once…
The "human element" to goal setting is where feelings come in the picture. We tend to tell ourselves the story we want to hear, give ourselves credit where it may not yet be due, and lack the objective oversight to stay on track. The following tips will help you avoid these common pitfalls:
- Specificity is key — the better you aim, the smaller you miss. The first element to goal setting is "specificity"; both efficiency and effectiveness are improved when choose a specific goal.
- Measure goals with "closed-loop feedback"; in other words, create actions that are objectively measurable and repeatable (e.g. today I ran one mile in seven minutes, last week I ran one mile in seven minutes 30 seconds).
- Bring your goal to the forefront of your mind more often. Create ways to be externally and internally reminded of what you want to achieve.
- The most important conversation you have all day is the conversation you have with yourself. You are the easiest person to fool.
- Visualize not only the things that will go well, but the things that will go wrong. This is called "RED Teaming" your goal; poke holes in your theory and then provide solutions to the ways you will solve problems that come up.
- Commit to pre-determined check-in review with a coach or accountability partner. They should be objective when you can only be subjective.
- Decrease "mission fatigue" by introducing more play; the longer the time horizon of your goal, the more fun you'll need along the way.
Remember, the process of achieving your goal is where the growth happens; achieving your goal is simply the celebration of all your hard work! The journey provides the moments you'll remember forever and the experience (both good and bad) you draw on when it's time to do it again. This framework works for small goals, crazy goals, stretch goals, and every goal in between.
The only limits are the ones you set yourself.
If you're sitting there reading this and have no idea where to start or aren't quite sure what to focus on, ask yourself these three questions (and start free-form journaling on the topics):
- What am I curious about? What has been exciting to me lately?
- What keeps me up at night? What kinds of community, national, or international issues do I want to work on solving?
- What gets me out of bed in the morning? If I jumped out of bed excited to do something every morning, how much progress could I make doing it every day with direction?
A catch all question might be:
"What is my biggest weakness that, if turned into a strength, would drastically improve my life?"
These are great questions to consider throughout the holidays with January 1st (and those New Year's Resolutions) looming on the horizon. Start now on momentum to hit the ground sprinting in 2020.
It's GO TIME.
Have the best day ever.