3 Tips for Setting Goals You Can Achieve

We live in a goal-oriented society, where we’re constantly encouraged to be setting goals for self-improvement, and to be bettering ourselves. As many of you may have experienced, it’s easy to set a goal. Achieving that goal, on the other hand, is an entirely different matter. We often fall short of the goals we set, because we don’t take the time to build ourselves a road map to get where we want to go. An outcome goal (more on this later) set in isolation (e.g. I’m going to get in shape) is vague, and leaves too much room for old habits to take hold. Our lifestyle patterns are strong, and are unlikely to change without a clearly defined structure for the desired change. There’s a strong societal ethos around self-improvement, yet we get very little advice on how to create the sustainable change we seek.

A goal is achievable when it’s been well thought-out, and is accompanied by a thorough plan-of-action. Read below for three suggestions on how to build structure into your next goal, to increase the odds of creating and sustaining your desired change

1) Separate Outcome from Process

Outcome goals serve a purpose, but on their own, they’re not so helpful. Let’s say your overall goal is to “improve my mental health.” That’s an outcome goal. On its own, it doesn’t give much direction, but if accompanied by process goals, a road map begins to develop. A process goal is like a bridge, that if completed, will help you fulfill your desired outcome. So if your overall goal is to improve mental health, related process goals could be:

Meditate daily
Limit daily social media use to 30 mins
Attend weekly therapy sessions
Exercise three days per week

You’ll notice that all of those examples also have time frames attached to them. Establishing time frames for process goals helps make them more specific, and the more specific, the better. You’ll also notice that each of those process goals are measurable, which leads me to my second tip…

2) Make Your Process Goals Measurable

A measurable goal is just what it sounds like: a goal you can clearly measure. Goals like “get healthier,” or “eat better,” are not measurable. But goals like “workout 3 days a week,” or “eat leafy greens once per day” are easy to measure. The action is specific, and there’s a specific time frame attached. Measurable goals are helpful because they allow you to track progress, and give clear instruction on what action to take. A non-measurable goal is non-specific, and allows room for current habits to maintain their hold.

3) Implement Measures for Accountability

Hold yourself accountable to the goals you set by tracking progress, and making your goals visible. Write your goal down. Put reminders in your phone. Keep a chart in your room where you can mark whether or not you achieved your process goals for each day/week.

Working toward a goal is often seen as a black and white process – either you achieve the goal, or you don’t. But it’s not that simple. We may take many notable steps toward achieving a goal, but leave ourselves some room for improvement. Tracking our progress allows us the opportunity to reflect on our own progress and process, and to make alterations as necessary.