Goal setting

Goal setting involves establishing specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and

time-targeted (S.M.A.R.T ) objectives.
Goals that are difficult to achieve and specific tend to increase performance more
than goals that are not. A goal can become more specific through quantification
or enumeration (should be measurable), such as by demanding "increasing
productivity by 50%"; or by defining certain tasks that need completing.

Setting goals affects outcomes in four ways:
1. Choice: goals narrow attention and direct efforts to goal-relevant activities,
and away from perceived undesirable and goal-irrelevant actions.
2. Effort: goals can lead to more effort; for example, if one typically produces 4
widgets an hour, and has the goal of producing 6, one may work more intensely
than one would otherwise in order to reach the goal.
3. Persistence: An individual becomes more prone to work through setbacks if
pursuing a goal.
4. Cognition: goals can lead an individual to develop cognitive strategies to
change their behavior.







Benefits of Goal Setting
Make you aware of your weaknesses so you can begin to improve them and
make them into strengths
Give you a sense of past victories of goals accomplished and motivation to
succeed in current goals
Help you to visualize and plan actions to achieve what you want -- then
carry it out
Give you a track to run on - a path to follow, so you know where you are
going
Forces you to set priorities, therefore helping you to limit getting involved
in distracting things
Define real life actions-- separates it from just wishful thinking
Makes you responsible for your own success or failures
Serve as a guide in making decisions
Make you aware of your own strength
Improve your self-image

Excuses for Not Setting Goals
Predictability
Many people feel threatened by change and resist goal setting because it may be
uncomfortable to try something new or different.
Conditioning
Many people are conditioned so that after they have done something a certain
way, it becomes a habit.
Belief in Miracles
Many people sit back and wait for miracles instead of setting goals and
taking action to accomplish them.
Fear of Losing
Many people do not set goals because they are afraid they will be criticized for
not reaching them.
Fear of Winning
Odd as it may seem, some people do not set goals because they cannot image
themselves being capable of handling the new behavior or success.
Time Constraints
Many people think it takes too much time to set goals...think of the wasted time
when you are .out in left field doing things unrelated to your real purpose

The Advantages of Setting Goals

Setting goals is very important, however not everyone is aware of all the reasons.
Here are the advantages for setting goals.

First, by having clear goals, people know what they are striving to achieve.

Second, the sense of purpose is very important in accomplishing goals. Thus,
people are much more motivated to achieve each of their goals if they have a
reason to achieve those goals.

Third, by assigning goals, people are given personal responsibility for achieving
those goals. Therefore, support for achieving goals increases when they are
assigned.

Fourth, by having detailed goal plans, people increase both their productivity and
performance. This is because outlining each step that is necessary to achieve a
goal is critical to starting and executing goal plans.

Next, people have more confidence when they are noticeably making progress on
their goals. And this is only possible when goals have detailed plans that are
tracked to completion.

Finally, people are must more satisfied with themselves when they actually finish
accomplishing their goals. This comes from the satisfaction of doing a well done
job to the very end of the project, as well as the recognition in achieving those
goals.