This year is still relatively “new”, so you’ll find that people have not yet stopped talking about goals and resolutions. However, we’re also at the time of year when the enthusiasm about all that stuff starts to wane.
So, to get you back into the goal setting (and executing) mode, I thought I’d point your attention towards an interesting article by Web Worker Daily that discusses 3 goal setting tips that don’t work — and then offers 3 that do.
It’s an interesting post because it dares to contradict some very common goal setting tips, while presenting a counter-argument as to why each of the common tips aren’t really all that useful. Furthermore, it tells you what you should do instead.
So while you see others letting their lofty goals fall by the wayside, you can heed some of the advice offered and have a renewed sense of realism about your own goals. (That said, you may want to share the advice with others rather than letting them watch their own goals slip away…)
A worthwhile read for a worthwhile cause — your own ambitions.
3 Goal Setting Tips That Don’t Work (And 3 That Do)
(Image courtesy of -12°C under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 generic license.)
I like that the article has research backing up the claims. While I agree with #1 and #2, the third one can be up for discussion.
Having a long-term vision is important. You have to know where you are headed to. With short-term goals, you have no idea where you are headed. I do agree that you should break down goals, especially if you have one big hairy goal. That makes achieving your big goal more likely.
But without a long-term vision, you can get lost very easily and get caught up with things that do not align with your long-term vision. As part of my morning ritual, I look over my big goals and decide which action items of the day align with my big goal. Those are the ones I want to work on foremost. Also by doing this daily you train your brain to look for opportunities that will help you achieve that big goal.