How to Set Goals

Setting goals allows you to choose how you want to move through life. Some
achievements can take a lifetime to attain, while others can be completed in the
course of a day. Setting and meeting goals leads to feelings of satisfaction and
accomplishment. Getting started can seem daunting, but we'll show you how to
build up to it.

Method 1 of 2: Setting Broad Overarching Goals

Think about the "big picture. Ask yourself some important questions

about what you want for your life. The answers to this question can be as general
as "I want to be happy," or "I want to help people," or "I want to be fit."

These general statements can help hone in on the things that really matter
to you. Recognizing the things you value will guide your decision-making and
keep you focused on your end goals.

Think of the answers to your "big picture" questions as things you hope to
attain 10, 15, or 20 years from now.

Break the "big picture" down into smaller and more specific

goals. Consider areas of your life that you either want to change or that you feel
you would like to develop with time. Begin to ask yourself questions about what
you'd like to achieve in each area and how you would like to approach it within a
five year timeframe.

In terms of your career, you may ask yourself what your ideal job is. What
steps do you need to take to get that job? What are the roadblocks? Do you need
a specific degree or certificate?

With financial goals, you may want to consider where the money will come
from. How much money you will need to live comfortably? What are the best
ways to spend or invest money? Do you want a house, new car, or to begin a
retirement plan?

When it comes to family, do you want to have children, and if so, when?
Do you want to have biological children, or are you open to adoption or having
stepchildren?

In thinking about romantic goals, you may consider the type of relationship
you want (long-term partner, marriage, open-relationship, etc.), and how you will
prioritize the time spent with a partner. What are the characteristics of a mate that
make them a good fit for you?

In terms of education, think about what course of study you'd like to

pursue. Are you going to school to further you career? What types of courses do

you need to complete for advancement at work? Are there alternate ways to enter
the career you want, like apprenticeships or internships?
In thinking about physical goals, consider whether changes need to be

made to make you healthy. What can you do to maintain good health into old
age? Think about whether there are specific physical challenges you want to
meet such as a major mountain climbing expo or a marathon.

Use the SMART method to create actionable goals. SMART is a

mnemonic used by life coaches, motivators, HR departments, and educators for

a system of goal identification, setting, and achievement. Every letter in SMART
stands for an adjective that describes an effective way to set goals.

Specific. When setting goals, they should answer the highly specific
questions of who, what, where, when, and why. Instead of the general goal, "I
want to get into shape," try for a specific goal, "I want to run my first halfmarathon this year."

Measurable. In order for us to track our progress, goals should be

quantifiable. "I'm going to walk more" is far more difficult to track and measure
than "Everyday I'm going to walk around the track 16 times."

Attainable. It is important to evaluate your situation honestly and recognize

which goals are realistic, and which are a little far-fetched. Instead of, "I am going

to be this nation's Mother Teresa," (while admirable) it might be more realistic to

say, "I am going to volunteer four nights a week at my local soup kitchen."
Relevant. Is this goal relevant to your life and to the "big picture" questions

you have already asked yourself? Some good questions to ask yourself when
figuring this out are: does it seem worthwhile? Is now the right time for this? Does
this match my needs?
Time-related. Setting a "due date" to meet goals not only keeps you on

track, but it prevents pesky daily roadblocks from getting in the way. Instead of
saying "I'm going to get my college degree", you might consider saying, "I'm
going to get my B.A. in 4 years."[1]

Make each goal a positive statement. Once you've done the

brainstorming and considered how to make your goals SMART, it's time to solidify
them. Using positive statements is a direct way to affirm your commitment to
completing your goals. "if you would like to achieve ___ in 5 years, you have the
roadmap for setting necessary goals for next year, next month, next week,
tomorrow, and today.

If your goal is to transfer from a junior college to a university within the

year, you can investigate the school you want to transfer to online today, make an
appointment to speak to a matriculation counselor by the end of the week, visit

the school at the end of the month, and plan to request letters of
recommendation in 6 months.
If you want to own your own tattoo shop in the next 6 months, you can

canvas neighborhoods for an adequate location tomorrow, contact your bank

about personal and small business loans next month, and place an online ad for
talented tattoo artists in two months.
If your goal is to run your first marathon in 8 months, you can call friends

who run for tips tonight, ask for shoe recommendations tomorrow, join a running
club next week, and begin intensive training in 6 months.

Set priorities. At any given moment, you have a number of goals all in

different states of completion. Deciding which goals are more important, or timesensitive, than others is crucial. If you have a college interview scheduled on the
same day as a training session for your big half-marathon, the interview would
take precedent as it is far more time-sensitive, and probably more important.

Keep incremental goals small. It can be overwhelming to think about your

end goal. If all you say to yourself is, "I have to get married, I have to find
someone to marry me," you are missing the incremental goals that form the base
of the large goal. Refocus and gain some perspective. Think about creating an
online dating profile, meeting someone your friend think you might hit it off with,
or joining a social club.

Keep track of your progress. Journaling is a great way to keep track of both

personal and professional progress. Checking in with yourself and

acknowledging the progress made towards a certain goal is key to staying

motivated.
Asking a friend with similar goals to buddy-up with you is a great way to

keep you motivated and to make sure you hit your goal target dates. Consider
pairing up with a fellow student facing the same application deadlines if you are
applying for school, or another new, emerging artist if you are applying for artist
residencies, fellowships, and grants.

Reward your accomplishments. Acknowledge when you have reached

goals and allow yourself to celebrate accordingly. Take this time to assess the
goal process--from inception to completion.

If you feel it took too long to achieve this goal, examine you stumbling
blocks. Was your goal reasonable? Are there skills you may need to acquire
before attempting to complete other goals?

If you learned something about the way you work towards meeting your
goal, is it something that can be applied to other goals? If you really learned how
to be proactive with work communications, is that a skill that can be used when
you want to find out the status of your school matriculation status? [2]

Method 2 of 2: Setting Specific Manageable Goals

Lose weight. Try not to be discouraged if weight loss takes time. Effective,

long-lasting weight loss involves not only diet and exercise, but changing your
lifestyle. Choosing a realistic weight loss goal is just the first step in working
towards your ideal weight.[3]

Talk to your doctor to determine what a healthy weight is for your height
and build.

Set long-term weight loss goals. These goals can be considered end
goals--they take time to achieve and are met only after having achieved a number
of smaller, shorter-term goals. A reasonable initial weight loss goal is 5-10% of
your current body weight. If a person weighs 180 pounds, a safe and reasonable
amount of weight to lose initially is between 9 and 18 pounds.

Set short-term weight loss goals. These shorter term goals are

incremental achievements that lead up to the larger, long-term goal. A short-term

goal would be to to lose 1-2 pounds per week. If weight loss is consistent, in less
than 3 months, you can achieve the longer-term goal of losing that 5-10% body
weight.[4]
Celebrate reaching weight loss milestones. Take the time to assess where

you are in your larger target goal. Once you've met a long-term weight loss goal,
you can decide whether you should lose more, or whether you can enter into the
maintenance phase of weight loss.

Apply to college. Applying to college is a great goal-oriented, time-driven

endeavor. There is a definite long-term end goal, there are deadlines, and there
are many short-term goals to meet.

The year before college applications are due is full of material gathering,
test taking, recommendation requesting, and essay writing. Each event on its
own can be viewed as a unique short-term goal to be accomplished. Refer to the
college application for the list of materials due.

Calendaring all due dates and deadlines can you meet all the small goals.
Testing is a major component of college applications. Know ahead of time that
before the actual test date, you may need to enroll in a test prep course. You will
definitely need time to study and read through sample tests. All your pre-test

preparation moves you closer to completing the short-term goal of taking your
exam.
Letters of recommendation can be viewed as short-term goals that involve

another person. In this case, after requesting the letter, you need to proactively
communicate with the recommender to ensure it will be ready on time. Often
times letter-writing gets put off until the last minute, and if you are not aware of
your deadlines, the late letter (short-term goal) can affect the status of your
application (long-term goal).

Get a job. Getting a job is a self-directed activity that will involve you setting

your own goals and timeframe. Job hunting involves research and investigation.
Learning about companies, job functions, and qualifications will alert to to
whether you are eligible and interested.

Know what you want. Think, specifically, about the type of job you want
and the types of skills you have. Being clear about who you are and what you
want can help focus a job search. Your resume and cover letter(s) should reflect
your job needs and wants.

Set some short-term goals. This can include contacting a job recruiter by
the end of the day, sending cover letters and resumes to 5 different companies,

or making contacts with 2 people from an online career networking site by the
end of the week. The following week can include a number of follow-ups with
contacts and companies.
Other short-term goals may include attending networking events, trade

shows, or meet-ups of those in your industry. You can plan to speak to 3 people
at each event, or exchange business cards with 8 different people. Following up
with people at these events can be yet another short-term goal.

Run a marathon. Physical goals require both time and planning, and setting

long and short-term goals can help you track your progress. Running a marathon
is something both experienced and new runners will need to train for.

As a beginner, setting short-term goals will help condition you and prepare
you for long runs. You may begin by walking and running in short intervals every
other day for the first week. The next week your goal may be only running every
other day. In weeks closer to the run date you may run 23 miles (3.24.8 km)
per day, building to 5-6. Charting and tracking your progress will allow you to see
the progress you've made with the completion of many smaller, manageable
goals.[6]

As a more experienced runner, you may choose to focus your short-term

running goals on building speed. Again charting and tracking your increased

speed will allow you to track your progress as you build towards the longer-term
goal.

Tips

Listen to people whose achievements you respect and ask for their advice.

Writing down your goals helps concretize them, and sometimes helps
clarify what you ultimately want.