5 tips to pick the right goals

Jeroen De Flander

5 tips to pick the right goals

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The positive results of setting objectives within the world of work are widely supported by substantial research – more than 100 scientific studies involving 40,000 participants from different industries. And these figures don’t even include any goal-setting research that took place in the world of sport.

Want to set your own personal goals. Here are five tips from Leo Babauta to get going:

1. Brainstorm

If you don’t already have a list of things you’d like to accomplish, start out by making such a list. Throw anything on the list — you don’t actually have to do them. This is just to make sure you don’t miss anything.

2. The one thing that will change your life the most

Now take a look at the list and figure out which goal will change your life the most. Is it something that can be accomplished in a year? It can take less than a year — one month or three or six if you like. If it will take several years, you might want to create a sub-goal that will take a year or less — any longer and it’s hard to stay motivated. Is it a goal that will really make a big difference in your life? Is it something you REALLY want to achieve? Be sure it’s something you’ll be passionate about, or you’ll lose motivation.

3. Create a mantra

Once you’ve chosen your goal, turn it into a personal mantra. This is an idea from Guy Kawasaki, who said that a business should abandon a mission statement (which are usually useless) and create a 2-5 word mantra instead (his was something like “empower entrepreneurs”). So use this idea for your personal mantra — how can you put your goal into 2-5 words? Write those words on an index card, or make it your desktop picture/wallpaper, or post it on the wall next to your computer. Do something to ensure that you never forget this mantra — and repeat it out loud every single day.

4. What can you do this month to make that happen?

If your goal will take a year or so to accomplish, you’ll want to create a smaller sub-goal. Figure out a project you can do this month to get yourself a few steps closer to that goal, and focus on this project for the next month.

5. What can you do today?

Each day when you start your day, repeat your mantra and figure out what action you can do today to make your goal closer to becoming a reality. It just has to be one thing. If you do one thing each day, you’ll reach your goal. Some days you can do two things if you like, but don’t overload yourself. Now make sure that one thing is the first thing you do today. Don’t put it off until the end of the day, when it will get pushed back until tomorrow. Do it first!

The positive results of setting objectives within the world of work are widely supported by substantial research – more than 100 scientific studies involving 40,000 participants from different industries. And these figures don’t even include any goal-setting research that took place in the world of sport.