How many is too many?

[AmandaP]

I set myself 7 major goals for 2007, things like buy new house/car, weight loss, put business in to profit etc. I also set myself 5 minor goals a month things that will get me closer to the big 7.
Recently I was visited by an old friend who took great interest in MY WALL (vision boards, goal lists, calanders, mission statement etc) After looking at it for some time I asked what she thought of it. Knowing that she's a bit of a downer on any thing outside her comfort zone, I was prepared for some negitive feedback. What she said did kind of get to me though. "Aren't you taking on a little to much, I mean 7 goals you 2007, most people can't achieve 1 new years resolution and you're trying for 7!!!"
Am I setting myself up for failure? How many is too many?

[maclinda]

I think that depends on your resources. By that I mean energy level, finances and interest in achieving those goals.

If you're teetering on bankruptcy, suffer from depression, and weigh 350 pounds, you might be biting off a pretty big chunk (not un-doable, but big).

But it sounds like you have a plan, have broken it into smaller steps etc. and done all the right things.

I say why not? Go for it!

[Dietrie]

I think if you are strategizing properly and preparing, breaking it down into smaller bites and staying positive, then you really can achieve anything you set your mind to.
Don't let others put limiting beliefs on you. Just because someone else has doubts does not mean you have to take them upon as your own.
Instead you could maybe look upon her reaction as an extra side motivator, to prove to others and inspire others to make the very most of their lives.

So, I would say, don't ask yourself if you are setting too many goals. Rather, you should ask yourself if you truly desire those things that you have set as goals or if it's more of a "I would really like" for certain ones. And then believe you will achieve them.

[Thomas Jensen]

If you can cut procrastination down to an absolute minimum, and learn to not let your thoughts get the better of you (i.e. learn to act) then you can do almost anything you want.

Actually, what I would recommend doing is sitting down and breaking up your goals into smaller parts. So you have clearly established in your mind which course of action is necessary to take you to step 2, step 3 and so on. This way, instead of being a far-off dream, you have a defined series of stages that you have to go through to progress to the next level. It makes things much easier, and prevents frustration further down the line.

[RT Wolf]

It may sound like an authoritarian regime, but you should get to the point where you do not question your goals at all. No questioning, no compromise.

Being "realistic" or "what other people can or cannot do" has little bearing on you. Both usually mean settling, rather than acheiving your full potential.

If you try your hardest and not achieve your goals, then you've grown that much more. You've gotten stronger.

JUST DO IT!

[searstower]

It is important to set yourself up for success. I like to use this benchmark...

If you are the kind of person for whom everything just seems to go right, set your goals high.

If you are the kind of person who has a hard time getting out of bed in the morning, then set your goals a bit lower.

You may be somewhere in between, but if you aren't sure, as a few close, honest, non-downer friends who will be honest with you.

The size of your goals really isn't important, it's really about how many successes in a row you've had. Even if they are small successes, it's the mindset of knowing that you are successful that will help you achieve your goals more than anything.

Success breeds success.

[JeffS]

I really like Steve's idea (from a column around New Year's Day) of setting one major goal for the year. I'm like you, I have plenty of goals, and I'm steadily working toward all (well, most ) of them, but I'm finding it very helpful to have one central goal for 2007.

To give you a general idea: I'm actively working toward starting a magazine, developing test-prep resources, getting into better shape, becoming a much better tennis player, and improving my clarinet and piano-playing skills. (And there's more, but you get the idea.) I make some step toward nearly all of those things every day.

But: my focus for 2007 is on stabilizing my finances. I have an income goal I've set, as well as a corresponding savings goal for the end of the year. That is above all other things. That way, if I'm short on time one day, one week, or one month, and I have to decide between pursuing one or the other of the above goals, I pick the one that leads me toward my income goals. I barely have to think about it anymore.

Judging from my success so far, I already anticipate having a much different goal for 2008 -- I know that whatever I pick as my #1 will be an area I can improve by leaps and bounds.

To get back from me to you: sure, you can have plenty of goals, and you ought to be able to accomplish them all. But there will probably come a time when you have to choose between one and another, and it's better to work out those priorities now rather than when you're forced into it.

[Jes]

SO LONG AS YOU PLAN AND PREPARE PROPERLY, you're not nearly taking on too much. Even if you fail to meet those goals by 2008, you'll be one year closer to the finish line (provided you work on them at least a bit each day). In the greater scheme of things, you have to remember that 2008 isn't guaranteed to you, or me, or anyone else. If there are seven things that you want to do with your life right now, then do them RIGHT NOW. I feel much more satisfied trying and experiencing various things each day than when I spend all of my time trying to perfect one. You also have to remember that a year is a lot of time (8,760 hours!). That's enough time to get almost anything done. If you do the math, it will only take you about 100 hours to lose 100 pounds (30 min. cardio a day, 4 days a week can = 2 lbs. a week, with proper diet). On the other end, 1040 hrs. of part-time work at $15/hr. can earn you $15000 toward that down payment. Depending on how much time you already have committed elsewhere, there may be some things that will just take a little longer than a year. But who the hell cares? You're not in a race.

[Mike_T]

I wouldn't listen to your downer friend.

How would you feel if at the end of the year, you had achieved four of your goals, partially achieved two more, and completely flopped on the seventh?

Compare those results to scaling back your goals to just one, which for the purposes of the comparison let's assume you achieve. Which results would you rather have?

Have you ever heard the saying "If you want something done, ask a busy person to do it."? In my experience there's truth in that, and I think it can be generalized to goal setting.

If you set ambitious goals and work consistently to achieve them, you will get exponentially better results than if you "try" to keep a single New Years resolution. The reason most people don't keep their resolution is that they don't really commit to it. Most don't write it down at all, much less break it down and have a wall like the one you described to keep it in front of their awareness, and usually it's forgotten long before February.

Can you be overly ambitious with your goals? Sure, it's possible. But you're the best judge of that, not a pessimistic "friend". And I don't think there's any magic number, especially without knowing the magnitude of each goal.

If you said you had 100 goals, I might say that's too many since you'd be splitting your attention so much between all of them that you might not make much headway on any of them, but seven isn't anywhere close to that threshold in my opinion.

If you think achieving all seven goals for 2007 is realistic, or even just a bit of a stretch, I'd say go for it. If you think you'll get *worse* results by having seven than if you whittled it down to five and focused more on just those, then by all means do what you think will get you the best results. But again, as general advice I'd say shoot high, go for the stretch goals, and even if you fall a bit short you'll probably get a lot farther than if you shot lower to begin with. People are generally capable of doing a lot more than they think they can.

[RT Wolf]

It's funny how you can be prepared for someone to say something to bring you down, but then get completely knocked off by a smaller than expected attack. Her question just created doubt. I gotta be honest, I have difficulty sharing my goals with anyone but the closest and most supportive of the people I know. It might help you stay on track if you limit telling negative people about your goals.

[John Hill]

Ask your subconscious mind before you go to bed at night if you are taking on too much and it will reveal the answer to you either the next day or next few days. I explained the process in a post on my site in the subconscious mind category called "do you believe in magic". It's really simple and it works. You can use this technique for answers to all your life questions. The link is below.

John

[taylor2]

I personally think you are amazing and doing wonderful.go for it.if this is you and want you want to do and feel compelled to do it.who cares what others think.it is progressive and up lifting.so i think it is just fine.better than no goals.good luck.have fun.

[alexyeo]

I feel that its definitely alright to have many goals.
It boils down to whether you have taken any actions to achieve it.
A person with 10 goals for the year, taking baby steps to achieve it, is better than a person who has only 1 goal but with no actions taken.
So what if I can't achieve my 10 goals? It's ok... I know I am on my way.
At least I have taken actions....
A long journey begins with a single step.

[Takuin Minamoto]

With all of the wonderful replies here, I am sure you are already off, and well on your way to achieveing your goals. The goals you have set for yourself are probably challenging, but not impossible. Just keep moving forward, day after day, and you are bound to get there.

I have 10 goals I am working on at the moment. Some are simple, and just require the work to get them done, while others...I am not sure yet how I am going to pull them off, but I have no doubt or anything slowing me down in that sense. If I hit the deadline, it is great. If not, big deal. Extend the deadline. Just aim as close as possible to the target. Unless we are experts, that is all we can do.

Here is my goal list on one of my blogs, The Rule of 5, if you would care to see it.

Good luck, and keep us posted. I can't speak for everyone else, but I love to hear stories of accomplished goals and whatnot.

[starlet]

No way is it too many goals! I have found that so many people have NO goals, because they find one goal for the year too difficult. You only set yourself up for failure if you believe you are going to fail.

[Liara Covert]

I believe we can each do what we set our minds to do. If you experience doubt, ask yourself what you fear? Why would the approval of anyone matter if you truly have faith in your plans? The challenge is to understand who you are and your underlying motives for the goals. The rest will take care of itself.