Goal Setting
One of my goals for this year was to write more.
This is a terrible goal for me.
"Write more" - that's a great idea. But it's not really a goal.
Search for "goal setting" online and you'll get billions of hits. Most of them suggest similar strategies: created a vision board, tell a friend, set SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time bound) goals, write them out, don't give up on them, make a plan, dream big, be realistic, give yourself milestones, etc.
I tried a lot of different strategies before I found one that motivates me. Here it is:
- Be as specific as you can about what you want and don't add anything extra. Use quantifiable measurements when possible. For example: "I will get my PhD and secure a job in my field" is actually two separate goals. "I will get my PhD in three years" and "I will secure a job within a month of turning in my thesis" are better goals.
- Use positive language. For years, I set the goal "I will not bite my nails". I still haven't stopped. Now, I'm setting the goal "I will have nails that are long enough for a proper manicure".
- Avoid vague or cryptic words like "more", "better", "good", etc. that make it difficult to determine when you've achieved your goal. Is this really "more" or "better" than it was before? How much is "more"? What is "better"?
- Prioritize your goals. Which ones are most important? Write it out in order.
- Support your goals. Determine 2-3 things you can do that will set you up to achieve your goal. For example, "I will secure a job within a month of turning in my thesis" could be supported by "I will update my CV and resumé every 3 months during my PhD" and "I will apply to five jobs each week the month before I turn in my thesis, and ten jobs each week once I've submitted".
- Check in regularly on your goals. Once a week, I monitor my major goals and ask myself the following questions. Did I make any progress on that goal this week? Why or why not? What can I do differently to make progress this week? What did I do well that I can do again?
With that in mind, I've restructured my original goal to "write more".
I will write 150,000 words of creative material this year.
I will support this goal my writing a blog post each week and writing a play, a poem, or a short story once a month.
I think the most important thing about choosing a goal setting strategy is to find one that truly inspires you. There is no right or wrong way to set goals - only ways that work for you and ways that don't. Once you find that motivating method, anything is possible!
