4 Surprising Tips on How to Set Goals
Goal setting is a talked-about topic in the self-improvement space.
There are different strategies and frameworks that work for different personalities.
There are a lot of variables involved with goal setting.
In this case, it’s smart to see how different people work so you can create a plan for yourself.
Read this article without judgment.
It’s not a guide on ‘do this’ and ‘don’t do that.’
Instead, it’s more about tips on how to set goals that have worked for me and for people that I’ve observed.
The goal of this article is to appeal to practicality.
It’s one thing to set a goal.
It’s another thing to set a goal while factoring in being human as well.
Sickness happens.
Trials and tribulations hit.
Technical difficulties occur.
And backup plans may or may not be needed.
What then?
This article will share tips on how to set goals to form a 4D understanding of the subject.
Consistency and supreme work ethic are on the horizon.
Tip 1: General Goals Drive Movement
A couple of years back, I didn’t know about general goals.
These types of goals are ambiguous.
Where specific goals are all about deadlines.
‘Why would I ever want a general goal? Seems like a waste of time.’
Because general goals drive movement.
It’s much better to tell someone who is struggling with analysis paralysis to:
‘Blog’.
Rather than to say:
‘Do keyword research, set up your hosting services, create, edit, download proofreading software by such & such date.’
It’s hard to create specific goals on anything when you have 0 data.
General goals help with gathering the data.
With the data, it’s easier to refine and set deadlines.
Prior to ever writing a blog, I thought it took a long time.
For some people, writing a blog takes a week.
With my writing process, it takes only a day.
1 hour and 33 minutes to be exact.
After setting the general goal of blogging, I was able to get specific goals later.
Where a lot of people scoff at general goals, use them to drive yourself into motion.
Tip 2: Set Goals to Automate Yourself
What is a habit really?
‘Uh… something productive?’
I have a more unique definition.
A habit is when you automate yourself.
We often look at the systems that we can create outside of us.
- Setting up email sequences.
- Creating a to-do list.
- Cultivating a team spirit where members police themselves.
But how often do we look to automate ourselves?
‘How would someone do that?’
Well, do you think about driving?
‘Not really.’
Did you once have to think about it a lot?
‘Yes.’
What caused you to go from doing it mindfully to mindlessly?
‘Deliberate practice.’
Correct.
Find the act that you have to do every single day and then do it mindfully.
For me, it’s writing.
Writing is something I did very mindfully before.
Nowadays, I focus more on relaxing and the writing takes care of itself.
If you can set the goal to automate at least 1 daily high ROI task, then you will boost productivity.
It’s not like you do the high ROI task mindlessly like a dufus.
Instead, you require less cognitive effort which makes more room for creativity.
Tip 3: Writing things Down
General goals are great.
That’s not to say specific goals are bad.
With certain specific goals, it’s easy to track them down immediately.
There are different ways people write things down.
In, Simplify: A Personal Organizer Planner to Win the Day, you are given an undated calendar.
The calendar not having any dates on it allows you to draw on it for visual feedback.
The Seinfeld Chain strategy is when you mark an X on each day you were successful in executing some goal.
Over time, a chain forms.
This chain is a visual representation of your consistency.
Others aren’t as visual.
They need numbers, metrics, and data.
How ever you write down your progress, the goal is to write SOMETHING down.
This is like an out-of-shape person taking progress pictures & then recalling back on their progress.
Acknowledging progress with the senses boosts enthusiasm.
Tip 4: Prepare for Setbacks
Setbacks happen all the time.
That’s the nature of the game.
If you can prepare for it ahead of time, that’s using negative visualization in your favor.
Knowing that you can have some sort of sickness out of nowhere allows you to create a backlog.
A backlog is more content or fail-safes at your disposal so you don’t lose rhythm.
One example is that I have a few blogs in the draft section in case anything bad happens to me.
Let’s say I’m sick and don’t want to think.
Well, me having 10 blogs in the back burner allows me to be good for a few weeks.
If you can set the goal to fill up your backlog, then it’s much easier to weather the storm & be ready for the sunrise.
Boosting Productivity & Learning How to Set Goals
A system and a goal are not meant to be enemies.
A system grows when goals are presented.
And goals are the fruits of a system manifested.
The 2 work together.
This article gave 4 tips to help you understand a different way to approach goal setting.
Intellectually, we know we want to do it.
But emotionally, will it happen?
That’s for us to decide.
If the intellect & emotions work alongside each other, then we have discipline.
Discipline executed over and over again is how work ethic is born.
Not the average work ethic that comes in spurts.
Instead, the type that is continuous.
For more practical tips on goal setting and improving your productivity, be sure to check out, Level Up Mentality: A Guide to Re-Engineer your Mindset for Confidence.
This book will teach you:
- How to create systems and goals.
- Practical frameworks to learn information.
- Deliberate practice routines.
- Methods to teach clearly & effectively.
- How to use emotions in your favor.
And much more!
Grab a copy here:
Ebook
Paperback/Kindle
Audiobook
