5 Essentials of Goal Setting

What are some essentials while in the process of goal setting and achieving them? Here are 5 Essentials listed below. Do go through them and ask yourself, which one has worked for you in past and which are the ones you would like to try out the next time you set out to achieve the goals you have set?

Well to begin with, when we sit to set our goals we generally tend to go with the flow, which is a great idea but it is also better to keep a few essentials handy while in the process of setting your goals. Science has backed the fact that goal setting is important because they build self-confidence and help you increase productivity but nothing much is generally spoken about goal setting as a process in itself.

Vidhya Shenoy

Founder of TBS | Counselling Psychologist | DMPT

I write about mental health, productivity and sustainable living.

Experts define goal setting as the act of selecting a target or objective you wish to achieve. Fair enough. That definition makes sense, but I think there is a much more useful way to think about setting goals.

Everybody wants to achieve goals. The real challenge is not determining if you want the result, but if you are willing to accept the sacrifices required to achieve your goal. Do you want the lifestyle that comes with your quest? Do you want the boring and ugly process that comes before the exciting and glamorous outcome?

If your your answer to the above questions are a big fat YES, then let's begin.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our Goal Setting Complete guide. These creative, science-based exercises will help you to unleash the secrets and get on a journey to stay productive using research-driven methods of goal setting!

1. Know what you want.

Be specific. When you order at a restaurant, you're not going to give the waitress a vague idea of the food you're ordering. You're going to provide her with precise information. "I want the cheeseburger with ketchup and no lettuce."

It's the same thing in business. Tell yourself what you want, and get specific. Get right down to the very nitty-gritty of what it is that you think will make your business successful.

2. Think ahead.

Any successful business leader knows that they always need to be one step ahead of the game. For instance, after you've finished your team's monthly report, go ahead and prepare for the next month. It also means making sure you have a backup plan just in case something goes wrong. If a storm comes up and it knocks out the power, the smart person will think ahead and make sure their work is saved and backed up in the cloud or that there is a generator on site so that work can continue. 

3. Utilize deadlines. 

The purpose of a deadline is not to stress you out or give you gray hair.  Deadlines will help you focus and work on what is essential. If you don't have a particular deadline, set one for yourself. Setting a one will also help you stay and feel more organized. If that doesn't work for you then have someone a friend or colleague remind you and bug you about it until its done. Peer pressure is a beautiful thing in this way. 

4. Be confident. 

If you would ask anyone that has been in business for any length of time, they would probably tell you confidence is vital. It sounds cliché, but it's true. Confidence is going to give you that extra motivation to be more productive and get one step closer to achieving that goal. One thing I have learned in business is that confidence sells. If you don't believe in yourself, your product or your team you are destined to fail. Confidence grows when you have successes. 

5. Make a plan.

Success tells us to plan it out. Make a long-term goal and then set short-term goals to get to where you want to be. Create small tasks that you can complete to move you towards the goal. The research supports the fact that having a plan increases your chance of success by over 30%. That's why you have a game plan before you start the game. It will change that's guaranteed but its easier to make adjustments to a plan than to make things up as you go along and just hope for the best. 

Have you incorporated any goal setting techniques to help you on your way to success? Or maybe you are tempted to make a start on your own plan? How are you going to turn your goal setting into goal getting? Let us know in the comments below.