Effective Goal Setting Techniques

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• Goal Setting Tips
• Techniques

Successful people tend to set goals, but many people just don't get to it. Here are certain goal setting techniques you'll find helpful in achieving your goals.

Why You Should Write Your Goal Down

There's a very high chance that your goals will remain in your head if you just keep it in your head. Write it down! To achieve a goal successfully, you need to put your goal down and create an organized plan of action.

Be as specific as possible when writing down a goal. A well defined goal will make it easier for you to determine the steps you need to reach the goal.

An effective technique is to use the SMART criteria. This ensures your goal is effective.

Brainstorm

Instead of jumping right into the writing of a plan, do some brainstorming first. The objective is to think of all the different ways of achieving your goal.

Write down the insanely goofy ideas as well as the more sensible ones. Quantity, not quality is what counts here.

The more ideas the better, and in the end you may stumble across an approach that is, though a little out of the ordinary, a true gem.

Seek Help Early On

Seek help early on. Get people who can help you achieve your goals.

Get more people involved in your brainstorming session, more people means more ideas, and a greater chance of coming up with extra ideas to pursuing your goal.

Use Technology

Sticky notes on the refrigerator may be just fine for some things, but electronic reminders tend to be more reliable.

Sometimes unexpected things happen and our plans need to change and adapt. This is where goal setting software can become useful – you can edit your plans easily on the computer rather than creating new plans on paper.

Consider using goal setting software – it's a more flexible and organized approach to goal setting.

[Note: Goal setting software gives you an extra advantage of editing and organizing your plans and goals. But this is only a suggestion, if you prefer the tangible feeling of pen and paper, stick to setting your goals on paper.]

Keep a Journal

A journal is more useful as a record of your progress than for a structured plan. Store your plan in the computer.

While many prefer the idea of writing down things in a journal, you can keep a virtual journal as well. I particularly prefer an electronic journal because I can easily search for previous entries easily. But the only downside is the tangible feeling of paper (which I like) is sacrificed.

You should try journaling on both paper and your computer to see which is more suitable for you.

How to Motivate Yourself into Action to Achieve Big Goals

To consistently move towards your goals, you will need to take consistent action. That's why you need to motivate yourself into action every single day!

Get rid of limiting habits that make you feel sluggish. Establish routines and habits that energize you. Go out for a jog in the morning, read something related to your goal for an hour a day. Keep yourself energized and motivated. Bring your inner desire out for extra motivation!

To do this keep your mind AND body active! The extra physical and mental energy will give you a boost to take the necessary actions towards your goals.

Your environment can affect your mood. Take a step back and look at your office space or home, does it reflect a successful person? Organize yourself and your environment because it will give you an extra boost of energy. An organized environment reflects an organized mind.

Staying Focused By Managing Target Outcomes Through Time Management

Time boxing: block out chunks of time for your goals each day. Without adequate planning you might just get caught up with your day-to-day activities.

Let's say you have a goal to write a bestselling book, allocate 2 hours to write. During that period, do NOTHING else. Don't get distracted. Eliminate all distractions.

Do this every day to keep your focus on your goal. By doing this it propels you towards greater heights and brings you closer to achieve your goals.

The magic of focusing on your goals daily will inevitably bring you the outcomes you desire.