Goals - why do we need to set them and how to good goals?
Photo credit to Jeff Sheldon
We've all been told that having goals is important and that we should write down our goals. But why? Why do goals matter and how do I actually set goals that help me achieve?
Why we need them
Goals are a part of the reward system of the human animal.
When we achieve a goal, we get rewarded for it with a hit of dopamine. Dopamine is addicting, which is why we love achieving a lot.
In short, we need goals to work towards that keep us motivated so that we can get the next dopamine hit that feels good.
My experience
I did not know how to set good goals for a long time and so I had trouble feeling like I was achieving anything. In addition, it was very hard to find any motivation to work on schoolwork as I had no clear direction or destination.
I took it upon myself last year to finally look into how I can set good goals for myself because I had always heard the phrase "set goals for yourself" but had no idea how to set good goals.
This year, my goals are much more achievable and they are specific. You can check out my goals here or at the end of this post.
How to set good goals
Introducing SMART
SMART is a mnemonic acronym that gives the criteria needed to set good objectives. These criteria were written up by George T. Doran in his paper "There's a S.M.A.R.T. way to write management's goals and objectives."
The criteria are:
- Specific - target a specific area for improvement.
- Measurable - quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress.
- Achievable - specify who will do it.
- Realistic - state what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources.
- Time-bound - specify when the result(s) can be achieved.
Example
Let's take a look at a typical goal and what's wrong with it.
I want to do well on my exams.
This is a horrible goal.
There are three reasons why this is not a good goal:
- It is not measurable - how do you define "well"?
- It is not achievable - if you don't know what "well" is, how can you meet the expectation?
- It is not time-bound - when will you do well on your exams? This year, next year, next century? It's too easy to say that "oh I meant next year".
So let's make this goal better.
I want to get at least 85% on all of my exams this year.
This goal is specific - the target is the performance on exams. This goal is measurable - the target is 85%. This goal is achievable - you can measure your progress and can know the results. This goal is realistic - the goalpost is not set at 100%. This goal is time-bound - it targets the exams that are happening this year.
This is a good goal and you should strive to make your goals similar to the SMART criteria.
Conclusion
It's important to know how to set good goals and I hope this post has helped you. Take a look at the call to action below and feel free to let me know your thoughts about this post!
If you are craving even more content, then check out the featured posts below the call to action!
Call to Action
Did you know about the SMART criteria before reading about them here? Have you already applied something similar to your goals in the past? Let me know in the replies below, I'd love to hear your answers!
Featured posts
I just set my goals for 2018. What are your goals?
Less time and more to do - how I recaptured my productivity.
Work vs metawork - how to actually become more productive.
Amazing post with lots of great advice. I agree with the SMART principle when setting goals. I think most goals are achieved because the company or individual does not have a specific plan of action. Having a process like SMART to assist with goal setting is a great way to encourage more of us to reach our goals.
Good educational information should be shared so your post has been Upvoted and Resteemed. Hope more people get to read your blog. Thank you for sharing good content with the community :)
And thank you for sharing it! :)
Only a pleasure. Thanks for creating great content :)
I like your posts. The featured posts are a few to many though...