5 Tips For Better Goal Setting
Posted Mar 10, 2022 at 16:00
Like it or not, goal setting is a natural part of human life. We all do it whether you realise it or not. Goals can be as short term as the next hour, or as long term as your retirement.
One thing they do all have in common though is that we end up failing most of them.
In fact, studies have shown only 8% of goals set are actually achieved. This leaves a whopping 92% of ideas and potential successes unrecognised.
At Peak we are constantly setting goals. Every year we aim to progress both professionally and personally to ensure consistent development as clinicians and as people and goals help keep us on this track. Below are some tips on things we consider when doing so, and you should too!
Start ASAP – Starting the journey towards achieving your goal is very important and often one of the hardest bits. Motivation is at its highest when you’re setting your targets as you will be pumped be this ‘better you’. Start as early as possible while motivation is still high and allow these changes to become a routine part of your life.
Be realistic, but don’t sell yourself short – It sounds obvious, but it needs saying. Make sure your goals are actually achievable within the timeframe set. Trying to save up £1Million is very unlikely goal for most of us to achieve in, say, one year, whereas putting aside *insert realistic amount for your situation* isn’t. Make sure to give yourself a stretch goal though. This should be something to push towards should you achieve all your regular goals in a shorter time frame than expected. This will allow you to push things even further than you may have thought possible 6-9 months back.
Ask yourself why – Reflecting on why you set the goals you want to set and writing this down can be very powerful. Having a written rationale can be fantastic to go back to if you feel motivation slipping and could give you the boost you need to carry on pushing forward. This alone makes you 33% more likely to progress with your goal.
Be specific – Common goals are things like ‘losing weight’ or ‘starting up running’ which are great goals but too ambiguous. Do you want to lose 5 pounds or 5 stone? Do you want to run up and down the road or run a marathon? Having a specific end goal in mind really helps with planning and good planning increases the likelihood of achieving your goals.
