Setting Goals for a Change!

[Xin]

Maybe some of you recall, but in the past I have created some threads portraying a anti-goal-setting kind of mindset.

Now, I'm kinda curious about adopting a set of strict goals for a couple of months, in order to do some massive change till Summer, before High-School is over.

I've adopted a couple of goal tracking systems, but I can't seem to make it efficient. Either it leaves too much for imagination (too vague) or it is to detailed, making impossible to manage any kind of action.

How do you exactly set your goals? And, be honest, do you achieve them? How do you do? Spreadsheets, notebooks? Don't set goals and just jot down what you want?

Tell me, I'm thinking of giving this a go. I want to make massive change, and want to know about different systems for setting goals that actually provide a backbone for action.

[Adrian]

Right now I use something akin to GTD for my projects and goals. But in your case, I'd skip GTD because it breaks everything down so deeply, and you probably don't need that level of detailed planning.

First, I would decide on a goal to accomplish. Next I would brainstorm ways I could make that goal a reality - what resources do I need, time it takes to complete the goal, and so on. Then I would set up a plan of attack to accomplish that goal, and adjust it as much as needed.

For example, suppose I wanted to be fit by June so I look great in a bathing suit! My goal might be "lose 40lbs by June 1st, 2008". Next, I would brainstorm ways about how I could achieve that goal. I could buy exercising equipment myself, join a gym, hire a personal trainer, give my diet a complete overhaul, and so on. After I did all the brainstorming, I would sift through ideas and pick out the most useful and applicable ideas (joining a gym and changing my diet), and schedule out a way to accomplish losing the weight (exercise every other day and eat 1200 calories a day.) I would adjust my plan as I went along (not losing enough weight? cut calories or add more exercises).

Makes sense? Hope that helps you!

[Kindred]

First I get the general idea of what I want to accomplish for my goal. I keep it vague and simple. Usually I only use a couple words to describe it. E.g.: Learn Japanese, or start freelancing.

Second I break it down. Firstly by defining what I meant by the action. This usually involves the extents, such as other actions, that encompass the action. In our example this could be: writing and speaking Japanese, making a website for your portfolio and finding clients. From here I then answer the question how, and when. How much Japanese will I learn to speak and write, and by when? How will I make a website for my portfolio and how will I find clients, and by when? Depending on your goal you may need to take some time to do some research on setting a reasonable due date.

The rest of the steps are just a recursive process of the second step, until I'm left with simple clear tasks I know I can do within 10 minutes to 2 hours. If there's not crystal clear clarity in a task, usually you need to break it down into more tasks. I use a mind web on paper, and a text editor to do my planning. Usually my mind web and text editor can become a bit overwhelming. I put these due tasks into my day planner and realize it’s not as overwhelming as it appeared all together. After that I'm on my way, working on the tasks as they come.

However, I put my tasks in my planner the day before instead of all at once. Why do I do this? Because if I want to reform my goal, I don't have to rewrite everything in my planner and it gives the goal some flexibility. Doing the tasks as they come is normally easy. Usually they're so clear and such small time investments that there's little resistance to actually start them and finish them.

My personal experience using this system has shown notable achievement. I've been following a goal I set last December with it. I wish to learn Japanese to the extent that I'm able to challenge* Japanese 12 (which has to be done before June), take the provincial exam on it (which is on June 19th), and achieve a score of 86%+ on the provincial exam. So far I've learned 330 Chinese characters (kanji), have nearly 500 words in my vocabulary, learned the two written scripts (hiragana and katakana), basic verb conjugation, basic sentence structures and some intermediate structures, and can understand slowly spoken Japanese within my skill level. To be honest some days I don't do everything (something anything) required. It just isn’t possible to be perfect, things will always come up, and there are always other goals that need attention. I usually make up for this within the next week so I don't get behind. With a solid deadline and plan, there's really no room to get behind (another strong motivator, because it’s all or nothing).

*: A way to earn extra course credits where I live by providing evidence of strong knowledge and well understanding of the course's criteria, then taking a test on the course’s material.

[ken nubo]

Xin,

I write my goal down in a note book that I keep for years. It's a pernament place where I can go back and review goals and stuff.

For example, I wrote down "play poker for 30 days straight at the casino" on the notebook and I did it last November. The secret is the will power to execute it, day in and day out.

[aikon]

The key for me was to really keep it simple and by focusing on small daily actions.

First: Identify what you want.

Second: Think of new habits you have to create to achieve this goal. Think of daily actions you have to take. Try to come up with something that is not longer then 15-30 minutes, easy measurable and can be done on a daily basis.

Third: Write them down, and log/track everyday if and what you did.

Examples:
get in shape -> 20 chinups a day, 40 pushups a day, workout at gym twice a week

become a tidy person -> make your bed in the morning, clean desk before sleep, 10minutes home-improvement.

Health -> Drink 3 liters water. Only eat wholegrain foods.


To keep a log of my actions i even created my own online-tool, you can use too. As you can guess I wrote down an action such as: 30min work on tracking-tool. Daily-Actions.com - Helps you achieve your goals!

[LawofAttractionHandbook]

Originally Posted by Xin

How do you exactly set your goals? And, be honest, do you achieve them? How do you do? Spreadsheets, notebooks? Don't set goals and just jot down what you want?

I use the SMART EDISON goal setting technique, developed by Michael Gelb (author of Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America's Greatest Inventor) It is a two part acroynm.

It goes like this:

S.M.A.R.T.
S - "Specific" - set specific goals so you know exactly what you're striving towards.

M - "Measurable" - Make sure they are measurable goals. Make them big!

A - "Accountable" - Take 100% responsibility and realize you are accountable for their achievement.

R - "Relevant" - Make them relevant to your highest purposes.

T - "Timeline" - Give yourself a realistic amount of time. Not too much that you're lazy, but not too little that overwhelmed.

E.D.I.S.O.N.

E - "Emotional" - You have to feel the realization of your goal. Have a passionate relationship to the goal.

D - "Decisive" - Decide with 100% of your being that you will make it happen, even if you can't see the path forward.

I - "Integrated" - Integrate each goal you set with all of your other goals in life.

S - "Sensory" - Envision your goals using ALL of your senses. (You've heard people say, "I want it so bad I can taste it!" They usually achieve that goal.)

O - "Optimistic" - Be optimistic ALWAYS in achieving your goal.

N - "NOW!!" - Envision your goal in the present moment. Begin to realize your goal NOW, not in future, not tommorow, NOW! Because all you have is the present moment.

That's the SMART EDISON goal achieving technique. I find it very helpful. But here's one more thing to remember. If you want to achieve your goal, just do it. Go after it and don't look back. If you're second guessing, unsure, undecided, then don't bother. WAIT until you're ready to go full throttle. Then apply SMART EDISON every morning when you wake up. Take daily action. You will make it, just do it.

[1000feet]

If the previous post seems overwhelming, remember that according to some the most important things are for goals to be measurable and time-based. That means you know exactly what it means to get there and you have a limited time to do it (otherwise why not wait 60 years?). These describe the fundamental point of goals - if they aren't defined by a specific measure and a specific time they aren't really based on progress.

Of course I heard this advice in the context of people who are forced to set goals for their job, in which case their boss will make sure the goals are relevant and all that - if you have more flexibility you want to examine the reasoning behind the goal to see if it expresses what you really want. For example, if you set a goal to play poker in a casino for 30 days straight. That simply expresses an action - unless you have a deep fear of casinos it's not particularly challenging.

You could ask yourself why you want to do that, and what conditions you want to put on it. Do you want to play at a certain level and make a certain amount of money? Do you just want to maximize your playing time without running out of money? Do you want to do it for fun or for income? Try asking yourself why several times and you might find out that your initial goals don't really fit your desires but you can find a better way to express them.

[3nigma]

I've also wondered how people actually write down their goals as well. I've written goals before, and I've achieved most of them... but I felt something was lacking with the way I wrote them down. Can any of you give a COMPLETE example of a written goal? It doesn't have to be yours, it can be just a made up example like getting in shape.

This is how I used to do it, and these were in a Microsoft word document. (Just an example)

Goal - *Present Tense* I weigh the ideal 170 lbs for my body height and have a sculpted rock hard six pack of abs.

How - (All the things I have to do to achieve this)
(In Bullet Points)
- I Eat breakfast in the morning
- I Do 45 minutes of exercise programs every other day
- I Drink 8 glasses of water a day
- I Get at least 8 hours of sleep every night
- I eat a daily multivitamin every day

Don't! - (Aware of what NOT to do)
(Also in bullet points)
- I don't drink Soda
- I don't eat anything 4 hours before bed
- I don't get full off junk food
- I don't eat fast food more than once a month

Benefits - (The Why part of the goal)
- I am flexible.
- I have more than enough energy for completing the rest of my goals
- I am mentally healthy and relaxed
- My skin, my bones, and my heart are all healthy
- I have great posture and great body language

Progress Schedual - (Keeping track of the things)
- January 1st - Worked out
- January 2nd - Rested
- January 3rd - Worked out (Etc)

[1000feet]

You don't have to make it complicated - anything that puts your goal in front of you regularly will help you stay on track. It should be something short, since you don't have time to read 2 pages every time you need to motivate yourself.

Aside from that it helps to track ideas for things you want to try and things you want to avoid, as well as what you're doing and your progress towards you goal. That sounds like the setup for a complicated system, but a simple journal can be all you need. Any time you feel like you need more inspiration just read over your past entries to see what you've thought of and how far you've come.

[Fullcrum]

Just review all your goals everyday and put time into putting yourself into a positive state.

A positive state makes all this that much easier.

I recommend "Clear Mind - Bright Future" by Learning Strategies Corporation (they did paraliminals and photoreading).

Simple and concise - and it establishes a clear and practical foundation.

Have fun champ!

[Xin]

I'm definitely happy with what everyone posted on this thread!

I'm going to try to work it out this way:

1) Set up big, large, long term goals.
2) Set medium-term goals.
3) Act and keep track with Joe's Goals (nice little tool that seems to be very handy!)

@aikon, I went ahead and tried your software. I liked it; but some of Joe's Goals features, I wanted them on your software, and some of your software, I wanted on Joe's Goals. But good work nonetheless.

[Peek]

Hi Xin,

Don't forget to create fun in your goals.

If there are fun vibes connected to the goals in your brain, procastination is a less likely option.

Good luck.

[aikon]

@xin: thanks. what sort of features do you miss? i'm still adding things to it, such as a daily log for numbers (ie for Calories) or freetext.
I'm always open for new suggestions.