Today we will tell you how to set a goal correctly.
Target. What is this?
The goal is the end result which you are striving for. Most often, a goal stems from a dream or inspiration. desires. But inspiration alone is not enough, you also need work.
You can say this:goal = desire + conscious decision to act.
Having set a goal, determine the tasks with the help of which you will achieve your plan.
The goal answers the question “WHAT needs to be done?”, the tasks tell you HOW to achieve the desired result.
For example, you wanted to learn English. Formulate a goal (to master a basic level of language in 1 year), make a decision and sign up for language courses.
The goal must be written down. How to do this correctly - see ourvideo:
How to set goals correctly
Check your goal against SMART criteria
To achieve the desired result, you can use different methods. The most universal is SMART technology. This is an acronym and it translates as “smart”. For over 60 years, people have achieved success using SMART technology. It includes 5 criteria that a properly set goal must meet.
Specificity (S)
No “lose weight” or “learn”. Be specific: “My weight is 65 kg,” “Win at least 10 chess games.” By being specific, you will see your intermediate successes. For example, reducing weight from 80 kg to 71 will motivate you to work further, because there is less than half of the way to the goal.
How high do you set the bar for yourself? At what level do you want to master a skill or learn information? For example, it is enough for Mikhail to learn to play simple courtyard songs in three chords on the guitar, and Oksana strives to participate in international competitions.
Three levels of information and skills
Level 1. Basic.Josh Kaufman, author of The First 20 Hours. How to learn anything” speaks of the principle of sufficiency. The principle implies mastering a skill at a level sufficient for the activity to simply bring you satisfaction.
Level 2. Intermediate.You operate with basic concepts, do not need ready-made templates, and can even advise others.
Level 3. High.You know about all the subtleties and tricks of the subject you are studying. Other people point to you as an authoritative source and look to you as an example.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re improving your guitar skills or learning how to create websites, there are differences in skill levels everywhere. Before setting a goal, determine what kind of result will suit you.
« When a person does not know which pier he is heading towards, no wind will be favorable for him »
Seneca
Measurability (M)
Formulate your goal with numbers:
terms, volume, percentage, ratio, time
Any work implies the presence of a result. SmartProgress has an option called "Completion Criteria". By filling out this line, you will formulate for yourself what you need to achieve. How to determine that the goal has been achieved? Learned 100 English words, read 60 books, earned 800 thousand rubles.
Reachability (A)
Think about whether your goal is realistically achievable
Sometimes it’s enough just to use logic - you’re unlikely to vacation in Thailand if you have a pathological fear of airplanes.
When checking the goal against this criterion, take inventory of resources. This is time, knowledge, skills, money, useful information, acquaintances, experience. You already have some of this, but you still need to get some. SmartProgress has a “Personal Resources” field that will help you think again about what will help you achieve your goal.
Relevance (R)
The goal must be related to other goals and not contradict them
This criterion is also called environmental friendliness of the goal in the sense of “carefully for what already exists.”
How much does a new goal help or at least not interfere with existing ones?
Environmental friendliness can be internal and external. Internal refers to your aspirations, values, beliefs. External environmental friendliness is the relationship between new and old goals.
For example, you want to become the head of a department, but for this you need to travel frequently on business trips. And one of your goals is to spend more time with your family. Here the two goals conflict and cannot be considered environmentally friendly.
Questions to ask yourself:
- How does your new goal compare to your old goals, desires, lifestyle, expectations?
- Is this the result you want to achieve by setting this goal?
- Is it worth the effort?
- Why and for what purpose do you want to achieve this goal?
Timed (T)
Set a deadline for achieving your goal
Clearly set deadlines motivate you to work more actively. It's easy to look back to see how far you've come and how much you still have to go. Parkinson's Law states: “Every job increases in volume to fill all the time available for it.” Therefore, if a goal does not have a deadline, you are unlikely to get around to it.
Are you afraid of being disappointed and not achieving your goal in the allotted time? Then set the deadline a little further than required.
Example of a SMART goal
S (specific)— Play the acoustic guitar: correctly place the basic chords, use fingerpicking and different types of strumming in the game.
M (measurable)— play 10 songs by the groups Spleen, Basta, Gradusy.
A (attainable)- have a guitar, tutorials on the Internet, time, money for lessons in the studio or with a tutor.
R (relevant)— I want to perform at a bard song competition, and also be successful with girls.
T (time limited)— July 2017.
Why does this technology work?
- You audit all resources and evaluate whether the goal is achievable.
It happens that one gives up and emotions say: “Oh, that’s it. I can not do it". Don't give in to your feelings, use logic: you have everything you need to get to the end. And if there are no resources, then you know where to get them.
- You can clearly see the end result.
If biathletes didn’t see their target, how would they shoot? A specifically formulated goal helps you understand whether you are going in the right direction and how close you are to the goal.
- Set tasks more effectively on the way to your goal.
Knowing what, where and when you want to get it makes it easier to achieve what you want. You have assessed your resources, checked the relevance of the goal - now you can continue on your way.
To move quickly and efficiently, you need to carefully plan your actions.
Plan and work
Knowing WHAT you want to achieve, it is easier to determine HOW to achieve it. If the goal is complex or long-term (create your own business in the IT industry, buy an apartment without taking out a mortgage), then your action plan will be more extensive. Don't be alarmed. We will tell you about 2 ways to go towards your huge goal in ourvideo.
- By time. Set yourself milestones. What should I achieve in a year? What should I be like in 2 years? What should I know, be able to do?
- Make a list of everything you need to do to achieve your goal. Get an education, study the market sector, analyze the achievements of competitors, reach first the local, then the regional level - the more detailed the actions are, the more effective the work will be.
Supplement your main goal with healthy habits
A habit is an automated action that we constantly feel the need to perform. We automatically do exercises, drink coffee in the morning, and check email when we come to work. And if something disrupts the course of events, we begin to get nervous.
Habits help you save internal energy to solve more important and complex tasks. There is no longer any need to waste time and energy thinking about whether to do exercises now. You just go and do what needs to be done without thinking. Therefore, it is important to form healthy habits. They make our lives easier and have a positive impact on our work.
Watch your thoughts - they become words.
Watch your words - they become actions.
Watch your actions - they become habits.
Watch your habits - they become character.
Watch your character - it determines your destiny.
O. Khayyam
On the SmartProgress service you can set not only a regular goal, but also a habit goal. This will help form and consolidate daily repetitive actions: jogging in the morning, reading books, walking, getting up early. If you decide to give up something, then in this case the habit goal will work. Regularity is important when forming a habit. That's why a habit goal doesn't take a vacation. Running in the morning every other day or taking a break from sports on holidays will not achieve the desired result.
For example, in your SmartProgress profile you set a habit goal to “get up early.” Your job is to check in with your goal after completing your daily action.
For five days you conscientiously celebrated your achievements, but you missed the sixth day. A red cross (failure) appears in the habit goal and you have to start your journey again.
Once you place the final checkmark on your goal, it will automatically complete. Write a conclusion, note the difficulties and successes of forming this goal. And start a new one! As Lao Tzu said, “A journey of 1000 li begins with the first step.”
Right now
- Think about which goal is most relevant to you today. Is this a habit goal or does it require relatively more preparation?
- Formulate the goal in accordance with SMART criteria. It must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
- Choose how you plan your actions: chronologically or to-do list.
- Create a goal for SmartProgress and write down your plan to achieve your goal there.
- Start implementing the plan.
Sometimes people set goals incorrectly. Because of this, they become disillusioned and feel unable to achieve greater heights. But EVERYONE can set goals and achieve what they want. We, members of the SmartProgress team, support you and wish you success in achieving your goal!
The SMART goal technique can be reduced to the first criterion - specificity. Personal life can be more or less reviewed with a horizon of 1 year - then visioning the future will be difficult.
Use the method for medium and short term goals.
For long-term goals, it is more suitable to set not specific goals, but goals-directions of movement.
It’s pure self-deception to set long-term goals, and even more so, lifelong goals using the SMART method.
The SMART method helps you choose the formulation of the desired/planned result. This is simply a form of writing down your goals, not a method for achieving them.
Any technology, even the most lethal one, will not work in inept hands.
To set smart goals correctly, you need to gain experience and become smarter.
SMART goal criteria - decoding with examples After Drucker, the method was packaged in a memorable package with the abbreviation S.M.A.R.T (from English - smart) according to five basic criteria.
Let's decipher SMART criteria for setting personal goals.
Specific. The goal should be
Specific We specify the desired result in our personal life, making it clear and achievable.
Instead of dreamy, general formulations, you need to write down a specific output result.
According to the SMART principle, goals should have one specific result. If the goal is “Become a family man,” then it needs to be divided into subgoals.
Measurable. Target - Measurable
Goal setting technology according to the SMART rule involves the manager monitoring progress towards the goal. To do this, it must be measurable. The numbers must be adequately selected so that they have a meaning (unit of measurement) as in example No. 6.
Each criterion of the SMART method transforms and refines the goal. The same goals, with the criterion of measurability, will become more specific.
If a goal seems unattainable, it is better to set an intermediate goal that is accessible to you. If you have set a goal and you put it off, you need to set the goal more simply.
Relevant. Target - Current
This criterion of the SMART goal method requires you to test yourself with the question - "Why do I want this?" Many goals lead to your original desire, and perhaps they are more interesting.
You can lead a healthy lifestyle in different ways: running, eating right, swimming, playing volleyball.
You need to check what suits you best. Explore yourself: how you feel while following different paths to a healthy life.
If the goal is difficult and you are not sure that you want to pursue it, I recommend setting an intermediate goal for the experiment. Walk part of the way and see how it is - is there any desire to continue pursuing it?
Time-bound. Target -
Limited time limit
| In management, this is an important criterion for every goal. | Other employees need to be guided by the results of their colleagues, and build their plans based on the results of members of the organization. |
|---|---|
| In your personal life, it is more convenient to set not single goals with a given deadline, but to draw up an annual plan. No Yes | Read 7 books on self-development in 2019. Drawing courses in May 2019. Freediving courses in August 2019. Plan for 2019: |
| Read 7 books on self-development. Drawing courses. Freediving courses. | Buy a laptop in January. Go to grandma's on January 6th. Buy tickets to Thailand before February. Plan for January: |
| Buy a laptop. | Go to grandma's. |
Buy tickets to Thailand.
Learn to meditate.
Meditate for an hour a day for a month.
| In management, this is an important criterion for every goal. | Other employees need to be guided by the results of their colleagues, and build their plans based on the results of members of the organization. |
|---|---|
| What should a SMART goal be? | A task for diligent people. Mentally formulate a difficult but achievable goal for you for each item. Quickly check that it is to your liking and measurable. |
| Duration – 3 months. | Lead a healthy lifestyle. |
| How to change your diet for the better? | What kind of physical activity should I make a habit? Live brightly. |
| What exactly should you do to live the next month brighter than the current one? | Meet your soulmate. Where “they” might be and how to get to know them? What can you change in yourself to be interesting to yourself? |
| Get rich. | What income do you have per month? What to do where the money is? |
What services to provide to the world? .
When you realize what you want, don't stop, dig even deeper. Is this your goal? Is this what you want? Maybe your mother wants this, your environment or other alien voices are imposing theirs?
Are you sure you really want this? Choosing and correctly setting a goal is half the battle and the basis for a successful outcome. Let's look at the criteria for correctness.
Specificity
It is not enough to set the goal “apartment”. It is necessary to describe the nuances in as much detail as possible, otherwise discrepancies are possible. An apartment seems to have appeared, there is a place to live, but it is not yours, you cannot dispose of it as you please. This apartment is the wrong size, in the wrong city, it’s not an apartment, but a room in a communal apartment. Has the goal been achieved? Yes. Is this what you wanted? No.
Wrong target: apartment.
Correct goal: three-room apartment without encumbrances in the center of Moscow in my ownership.
Measurability
Let's say your goal is to become a popular blogger. Thanks to social networks, there is a simple and concrete sign of popularity - a large number of subscribers. If you find it difficult to determine this figure for yourself, look at how many subscribers the person you consider popular has, and use this number as a guide.
Wrong target: I want to be popular.
Correct goal: 5,000 followers on Facebook.
Reachability
As one boss said, ask the impossible, you will get the maximum. Set yourself ambitious goals, desire in your heart to jump above your head, believe in yourself, and then land and take into account objective reality. There is no point in setting yourself the goal of growing a third arm.
Wrong target: I want people not to get cancer.
Correct goal: employment with a cancer organization.
Significance
Ask yourself the question “Why?” Repeat until you come to an answer like “This will make me happy,” “I will feel fulfilled,” “I will be fulfilled as...”. Ultimately, most human desires come down to these simple things. Therefore, it is not recommended to set a goal of a certain amount of money. Money is not a goal, it is a means to achieve something that will bring joy, benefit, and happiness.
Wrong target: I want a lot of money to buy a yacht.
Correct goal: yacht.
Deadlines
The deadline is a necessary parameter to achieve the goal. Without buoys, the sea of time seems endless, but suddenly life passes. An approaching deadline stimulates acceleration and will help correlate current progress with the remaining time.
Wrong target: I want to learn to draw.
Sign of goal achievement
By what sign will we understand that the goal of “getting married” has been achieved? An official document will appear confirming this - a marriage certificate. I’ll say a seditious thought, but in achieving a goal we move rather not towards the goal itself, but towards a sign of its achievement. Without a sign of achievement, the goal ceases to be specific. It's not enough to want your own car. The car becomes mine the moment my name is entered into the vehicle passport.
Incorrect sign: Dodge brand car.
Correct sign: PTS for a Dodge car.
Tools for achieving goals
Countdown
List the key steps in order from last to first. The question “What is needed to..?” will help with this. Determine the approximate deadlines for each stage so that you can check the plan later.
Example
Goal: October 2019 - housewarming in my own house, which I will build.
- What do you need to celebrate a housewarming in the house that I will build? Interior decoration (September 2019).
- What is needed for interior decoration to appear? Bring up communications (May 2018).
- What is needed to carry out communications? Cover the roof (April 2018).
- What does it take to cover a roof? Build walls (March 2018).
- Lay the foundation (September 2017).
- Select a construction contractor (June 2017).
- Order a project (April 2017).
- Find an architect (tomorrow).
So we come to the first step: write a post on social networks tomorrow and ask to recommend an architect.
Action every day
Take at least one action every day to achieve your goal. Even if you only have enough energy for one microtask, let it be done: curtains, call the architect and discuss the date of the meeting.
Creating an Environment
Fill the air. Subscribe to thematic resources, meet and communicate with experts and experienced people, read, watch. This contributes to the accumulation of knowledge and helps not to forget about the goal.
It is ideal if loved ones support, encourage, and help. Specialists and experienced people can also provide moral support, not limited to just expertise.
Self-tuning
A method for those who do not deny that thought is material. Put yourself in the image you want. This could be a visualization of the goal: someone draws a goal, someone makes collages from their photographs and photographs of the goal. Someone practices the principle “Live as if you have achieved it”, models and cultivates the feeling that you have what you want.
What to do if the goal is achieved or not achieved
Regardless of the result, analyze it. What hindered you in achieving your goal, what helped? What inspired you, what provoked procrastination? What should you consider or improve next time?
Analysis and adjustment:
- The goal was not achieved within the desired period. Review the deadlines and adjust them in accordance with the input data.
- The goal is irrelevant. Perhaps interests, values, or life situation have changed. Adjust the goal or abandon it.
- The goal is relevant, but priorities have changed. Life has made adjustments to plans; other issues require attention. Review the goal and timeline.
Don’t regret, don’t criticize yourself, analyze, look for cause-and-effect relationships, draw conclusions. Accept a situation that cannot be changed. It will be easier if you give your all along the way and enjoy the process. Even if it didn't work out, at least you had a great time. What's next on the list?
Today we will talk about how to set a goal and what they should be the right goals any person. In order to do anything, you should start by setting goals. Therefore, what exactly you will strive for and what you will achieve as a result depends on how correctly and competently the goal is formulated. Thus, this issue must be approached very thoughtfully and responsibly.
Rules for setting goals and objectives.
1.Good goals must be specific. When thinking about how to set a goal, try to formulate it as specifically as possible, so that there are no uncertainties or vague concepts in it. To do this, I recommend following three rules:
– Specific result. Setting a goal should include a specific outcome you want to achieve.
– Measurable result. The goal you want to achieve must be expressed in some specific measurable quantity - this is the only way you can really control its achievement.
– Specific deadlines. And finally, good goals must have specific deadlines for achievement.
For example, “I want” is an absolutely non-specific goal: there is neither a measurable result nor specific deadlines. “I want to have a million dollars” - the goal already contains a measurable result. “I want to have a million dollars by the age of 50” is already the correct goal setting, because... contains both the measured result and the time frame for its achievement.
The more specifically the goal is formulated, the easier it is to achieve it.
2. The right goals must be realistically achievable. This means that you must set goals, the achievement of which is within your power and depends mainly on you. It is unacceptable to plan something that is completely dependent on other people or some external factors that you are not able to influence.
For example, “in 5 years I want to have a million dollars, which my American uncle will leave me as an inheritance after death” is a completely wrong and unacceptable goal. In order to sit and wait for 5 years for your uncle to die, you don’t need to set goals. And the most interesting thing will be when it turns out that he bequeathed his fortune to someone else. Well, in general, I think you understand.
“I want to earn a million dollars in a year.” The right goal? No, if you don’t have a penny to your name right now, you simply won’t achieve it.
“I want to increase my income by $100 every month.” This is a realistically achievable goal, of course, if you have calculated and understand exactly how you will increase your income.
Set realistic goals for yourself and you will be able to achieve them.
3. The right goals must come from the soul. When thinking about how to set a goal, you should choose only those goals that you are really interested in and need, that attract you, that you really want to achieve, and the achievement of which will make you truly happy. There is absolutely no point in setting goals to do something through force, without desire, simply because it is “necessary”. Also, you don’t need to pass off other people’s goals as your own. Even if you complete these tasks, you are unlikely to get anything really needed from it.
For example, you don’t need to set a goal to get a legal education if you want to become a pop star, but your parents are “pushing” you to become a lawyer because it is a “money and prestigious profession.”
Set goals that will inspire you, not stress you out!
4. The right goals must be positive. The same task can be formulated in different ways: with both a positive and a negative connotation. Therefore, when thinking about how to set a goal correctly, avoid negativity and use exclusively positive expressions (you write everything down!) - this will psychologically motivate you more strongly to achieve results. There are also 3 important rules here.
– The right goals should show what you want to achieve, not what you want to get rid of;
– Correct goals should not contain negations (“I don’t want”, “I wish I didn’t have”, etc.);
– Correct goals should not contain even a hint of coercion (words “must”, “must”, “necessary”, etc.).
For example, “I want to get rid of poverty,” “I don’t want to live in poverty,” “I want to be debt-free” is an incorrect goal formulation, because contains negativity. “I want to become rich” is the correct formulation of the goal, because... contains positive.
“I must become rich” is the wrong goal setting: you only owe money to banks and creditors; it is much better to formulate the goal like this: “I will become rich!”
Positive goals are much easier to achieve than getting rid of negative ones!
5. Goal setting must be written. When your goal is written down on paper or in an electronic document, it will psychologically motivate you much more to achieve it. Therefore, when thinking about how to set a goal, keep in mind that you need to record your goals in writing. And it is a mistake to believe that you will already remember well what you have planned. Even if you have a good memory, a goal that you haven’t recorded anywhere is the easiest to change or abandon it altogether.
Goals in your head are not goals, they are dreams. The right goals must be written down.
6. Break down global goals into smaller ones. If your goal seems too difficult and unattainable, then break it down into several intermediate, simpler ones. This will make achieving a common global goal much easier. I will say more, if you do not break important life goals into intermediate ones, then you are unlikely to achieve them at all.
Let’s take our first goal, “I want to have a million dollars by age 50,” as an example. If this is all you have set for yourself, you will not complete this task. Because it’s not even clear how exactly you are going to earn this million. Therefore, it is necessary to break this strategic task into several smaller, tactical ones, showing exactly how you will go towards your intended goal. For example: “Save $100 a month for”, “Within a month”, “Open by age 30”, etc. Of course, these are just approximate goal trends; the correct goals should look, as you already know, more specific.
A global strategic goal will be achieved if you break it down into several intermediate, tactical ones.
7. Goals can be adjusted if there are objective reasons. If you have already set a clear and specific goal, this does not mean that it cannot be adjusted. However, and this is very important, adjustments to goals can only be carried out if there are objective reasons. Reasons like “I can’t do it” or “I’d rather waste this money” cannot be considered objective. Anything can happen in life and in the world around you that will have a significant impact on achieving your goal. And when such force majeure circumstances occur, the goal can and should be adjusted, both in the direction of weakening and in the direction of strengthening.
For example, you set a goal to save $100 a month in a bank deposit in order to collect a certain amount. At the time the goal was set, the deposit rate was 8% per annum. If bank rates drop to 5% per annum, you will need to adjust your goal: either save more, or, if this is not possible, reduce the amount you want to collect. But if rates rise to 10% per annum, you will be able to adjust the goal in the direction of increasing the planned result.
There is nothing wrong with adjusting goals for objective reasons - circumstances may arise in life that could not be predicted.
8. Believe in achieving your goal. It is necessary not only to set the goal correctly, but also to believe in achieving it. This will psychologically help you go towards your goal and overcome all obstacles encountered along the way.
Belief in achieving your goal is the most important factor on the path to success. There is no point in setting goals for yourself that you do not believe in achieving.
I hope this article helped you understand how to set a goal correctly and what your good goals should be.
In other publications on you will find many more useful tips and recommendations that will become your assistants on the path to success, and will also teach you how to competently manage your personal finances, because achieving almost any life goal has its own financial side. See you again on the pages of the site!
About the methods of setting goals and the main ways to achieve them. Any goal, regardless of its scale and focus, requires a serious approach. Movement without a specific goal turns into a chain of chaotic actions. Dream wisely and implement wisely!
In my course about making money on the Internet, the topic of setting the right goal, I highlighted an entire chapter, which I consider not only necessary, but also paramount.
In this article I will describe the techniques for correctly setting goals, the main processes and ways to achieve a set goal in a person’s life. There is no particular difference in what these goals are. These could be goals to achieve ideal body proportions or financial goals, the principle is the same everywhere.
Why you need to set goals
If it is easier for you, the word “goal” can be replaced with the word “dream”. It's easier that way, isn't it? And for most people, the question “Why are goals needed?” immediately disappears on its own. It is quite difficult to live without a dream. Basically, we dream about something every day. These dreams can be big, for example, the desire to become a singer or a movie star, or they can be small, for example, girls on a diet dream of a small piece of sweet, fresh, delicious cake.
But there is still a difference between a dream and a goal. The word dream means something unattainable, and the word goal can mean the same thing, but the difference is that we achieve our goals and implement our plans. If a person does not have a clear goal in life, then the very meaning of his existence as an individual is lost. At least this is typical for all representatives of the human race.