Getting to Your Goal
Authored by Samantha Brezak
Edited by Mela Ottaiano
As the year 2021 comes to a close, new possibilities are ahead for everyone in 2022. The new year often brings New Year’s resolutions, which can be easy to come up with, but the follow-through can be a challenge. The topic of setting and planning a goal has something for everyone, whether you want to create a goal on January 1 or beyond.
Goal planning is an important skill that is relevant in all areas of life, including education and academics, the workplace, and personal endeavors. It is key for any kind of development, especially professionally, which Global Impact Initiative (Gii) encourages. Planning and proceeding toward a goal can teach and reinforce initiative; motivation; management of yourself, time, and others; leadership; and organization. A goal clearly serves an important purpose, but there can often be a struggle to achieve one. Read on to delve into some insight and information on creating goals and how to attain them.
Relevant Science Behind Goals
An important concept for setting and planning a goal is Goal-Setting Theory (GST), created by psychologists Edwin Locke and Gary Latham. As a result of their studies and research on performance improvement, motivation, and goals, they found that completing targeted tasks has a positive impact and that certain factors, including resources, commitment, persistence, and specificity, influence our performance. This universally recommended model of motivation states that appropriate goals, planning, methods, and feedback can lead to a performance improvement. GST also emphasizes the importance of a goal that is both challenging and specific and of positive feedback after completion.
The reason many face difficulties in completing a goal is still being determined by experts. However, explanations involving human cognition processes and neuroscience have been reported. Studies exploring these areas have two possible explanations. The first suggests that cognitive rationalizing of the worth of effort and reward and learned patterns of behaviors provide these difficulties. The second proposes that trying to succeed with a goal is changing a habit, which puts stress on the brain’s routine functioning.
Things to Keep in Mind
The Big (and Small) Picture
Picturing potential success is a great way to determine your desires and provide encouragement. But these sights can be overwhelming, leading to disheartenment and self-doubt. That is why it is important to break down that big picture. As with a puzzle, you find the smaller pieces and build upon larger sections until you have the whole picture. But be careful: Zooming in on every aspect and small detail can be stressful too. When you are feeling overwhelmed, take a break and step back. When you are calm again, try to regroup and find middle ground between the big and small.
Motivating Yourself
A big part of pursuing and reaching a goal is motivation and encouragement. Is the goal something you really want, need, or see the value in working toward? The satisfaction of reaching your goal, and your improvement and success, can be very motivating.
Dangling a reward can also provide encouragement. Rewarding yourself for both making progress toward a goal and completing a goal is another way to find and keep motivation. Perhaps a special dinner or activity is in order once a goal is reached. Congratulating yourself for each small task with a small treat, like getting to watch your favorite show, can help too.
It Takes Time
Making progress consistently is also important. Planning and working toward your goal is already stressful, so it's important to allow enough time to complete it without rushing. Managing the necessary steps and setting shorter deadlines can make your desired accomplishments easier to tackle. Any step–no matter how small–gets you closer to your goal.
Categories
Categorizing your goal can be a helpful step in establishing a realistic timeline and an appropriate method for tackling it. Is it a short-term or long-term goal? Is what you want to achieve related to a personal goal, or is it something you want in a professional setting? Resources for reaching a professional goal may be found at schools, libraries, work agencies, or workplaces, while people close to you or human service agencies may assist with reaching a personal goal.
Eastern Washington University suggests categorizing goals into three types: process, performance, or outcome. A process goal focuses on the specific steps needed to take to reach your goal. Examples of process goals are “writing more” or “starting a new exercise routine.” A performance goal describes how you would rate or determine success, such as completing a smaller step to a bigger success; for example, “signing up for a class” or “receiving a passing grade” (or positive assessment). An outcome goal focuses on the result; for example, “losing ten pounds” or “finishing a marathon.”
Planning: SMART, WOOP, HARD
Now, onto some methods for completing a goal. Reaching your goal can be confusing and overwhelming, but making a plan can reduce this stress. Making directions can help traverse the road from unachieved to achieved.
SMART
A specific goal (S) should describe what you want, thoroughly, including when you want it, what you want to be doing, and why you want it. For example, setting a goal of “I want to learn to build an app” is more specific than “I want to learn about technology.”
Measurable (M) refers to how you measure or track progress toward your goal or success. For example, “I will research app designs two days a week” is more measurable, than “I will research app design.”
An achievable goal (A) sets you up for success. Is the set goal reasonable? Do you have the background and knowledge to dive right in, or do you need to add more time and steps to set yourself up for success? This step aids in knowing and enforcing your limits. An example of goal achievability is "The first app I want to make will have simple features, as I am still learning; and I will give myself plenty of time to learn and achieve this goal, around a year,” versus “I want to build an app with many features and functions within six months.”
Relevant (R) means the goal should be related to you, your overall success, interests, or larger goals. An example of a relevant goal is “I want to learn to create an app because I like learning,” “I want to be tech-savvy,” or “I want to eventually create a specialized, more complex app.” For comparison, accomplishing something only because a parent or partner wants you to is not a relevant goal.
A time-based goal (T) requires a date or deadline for achieving the goal, which can help to stay on track and encourage action. Small steps prioritized along multiple due dates might reduce stress or perceived workload. An example of a time-based goal is "I want to research and study app design for six months. Afterward, I want to take guided courses and design a simple app on my own within a year,” rather than “I want to learn about app creation soon, and I will make my own app sometime in the future.”
WOOP
WOOP stands for Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, and Plan. This method helps tackle any mental blocks that are keeping you from achieving your desires. WOOP may be ideal for those who struggle with procrastination. This method allows more room to create an individualized plan.
The first step in the WOOP method is to determine your wish (W). Feel free to take as much time as needed to determine the wish and what composes it. A wish example could be "I wish to save money for a trip I want to take.”
Next, consider the outcome (O) of your wish. This step encourages reflection and thinking about how you would feel after accomplishing the wish. How will it impact your life? What positive things will the wish bring to your life? “I would feel happy going on the trip, and I could explore a place I have never been” is an example of outcome.
Then, think about what could stand in the way of achieving the desired outcome. This is the third step of the WOOP: Consider any obstacles (O) in your way. In the past, what was difficult about achieving a goal? What keeps you from working on it currently? A potential obstacle is “The problems standing in my way are not enough savings and frivolous spending.”
The final step of the WOOP method is to plan (P). Make tailored instructions to work with and around any difficulties, so your wished outcome can be achieved. Don’t forget to work around your schedule, needs, and demands. For example, “I plan to get this outcome and overcome any obstacles by saving a quarter of my income. I want to reduce my spending on nonessential items by at least half. I will eat out two days a week instead of four and limit my free spending from $200 to $100.”
HARD
Another method for setting and achieving a goal is the HARD method. HARD is an acronym that stands for Heartfelt, Animated, Required, and Difficult. As with the SMART method, the HARD method sets a goal with certain characteristics; and, similar to the WOOP method, the HARD method asks you to examine aspects that might hinder your success and plan how to achieve your goal.
Heartfelt (H) affirms that your goal is a passion; that you have a personal and strong reason to accomplish it. A goal that is not heartfelt might be something you would do only to make others happy. Heartfelt provides the drive and motivation to complete your goal. An example of a heartfelt goal is "I want to be a counselor to help people because I know how hard it is to feel helpless at times.”
Animated (A) involves visualization and seeing yourself during and after the goal process. What will this goal lead to? It should be something you want to “animate” for yourself or prompt you to take action. What is it that’s worth putting your action toward? Some might compare it to being a character in a movie. What is the final scene that will lead you to a satisfying ending? In keeping with the previous example, an animated goal is "When I am feeling discouraged with my goal, I will take a break and imagine my end result of becoming a great, helpful counselor.”
Required (R) means asking yourself “What steps and tasks are necessary to meet my goal?” Deadlines and timelines also should be considered to help with management and to avoid feeling rushed. An example of this characteristic is “I am researching requirements for being a counselor. So far I have found that I will need post-secondary education, experience related to counseling, and background and security clearances.”
Difficult (D) goals should present the need to break down the more difficult requirements or the necessary skills to develop into manageable steps. Also consider difficulties or other factors and think of ways to counteract or work around them. For example, “It may be difficult to get good grades in my courses and to get my first job as a counselor. I will look for relevant experiences related to counseling, such as supervising groups or being a mentor. For my grades, I will come up with a system that requires studying and assignment time. If my grade is under a certain percentage, I will devote time to meeting with my professor and/or a tutor.”
Additional Assistance
Some goals can be inherently tricky and planning them can grow overwhelming at times. But you do not have to rely on just yourself for making and achieving your goal. There are many resources that can help.
Worksheets to frame your thinking (like this one) can be found online or you can make your own. Keeping a little notebook or calendar to list your goals, track progress, and note your wins could also be helpful.
Several mobile apps are designed for goal performance and achievement. If you don’t want to deal with downloads, you could use something simple like a basic notes app or alarms for reminders to help with task completion.
Writing is a good way to assist with goal setting. If you feel more creative you could even draw an image representing your goal, illustrate ideas of how to achieve it, map out an infographic or a timeline, and so on. Some people like to make collages or collections of pictures, words, or personal items that motivate or remind them of why they are working toward their goal. One idea is to make a graph, chart, or table to visually track your progress.
Another idea is asking a friend or family member to check in on your progress, assist in completing our steps, and/or give advice or insight on your goal and method. Asking for help shows initiative, care, and eagerness toward prioritizing and completing your goal.
All processes can seem overly complicated when every thought or “what if?” is kept in your head. Taking advantage of these tools can disentangle these troubling thoughts and keep you on track.
Going Your Own Way
These methods, while based on research and professionals’ opinions, are not one-size-fits-all. Try using more than one of the methods or principles discussed or make a method tailored just for you! The most important thing is finding a process, plan, or method that works for you. It is your goal and progressing and succeeding in a healthy, limited-stress way is what matters.
Insight on Dealing With Difficulties
Planning out your goal will set you up for success, but sometimes plans do not go as scheduled. Perhaps the work does not get done, a deadline is missed, or the goal is abandoned altogether, all of which can lead to feelings of disappointment and guilt. But these situations can actually help you.
Instead of negatively judging yourself and making a snap decision to permanently give up on the goal, examine what happened and determine what didn’t work. Was more time needed? Did external factors create obstacles, or did you succumb to a known habit such as procrastination?
If the deadline for a goal has passed, even if there is no required due date (such as for a work or school project), strongly consider continuing. Doing so will help you learn the great skill of persistence. After all, a completed goal, even past the intended deadline, is still a completed goal. If it’s possible, reset your deadlines or revisit the goal. Again, by analyzing the situation, you learn about your limits and how best to manage your time and workloads.
A previously set goal may no longer be aligned with your wants, larger goals, or values. If you gave it thought and concluded you don’t want to work on the goal anymore, that is perfectly fine.
While planning and completing a goal receives a lot of focus, mistakes and mishaps can actually provide the greatest learning and payoff.
Good Luck on Your Goals!
A completed goal brings a feeling of satisfaction and confidence in your abilities. The hard work and new knowledge could be the largest reward. Planning and practicing your goal teaches and reinforces many vital skills such as motivation, time management, and organization.
What will you do with this knowledge? Do you have a current goal in mind or are you looking to set New Year’s resolutions? Which goal setting method interests you the most? Do you have your own method? All of us from Gii wish you luck on your goals!