Goal setting

Why do people set goals?

Most people want to see some kind of change or improvement in their lives from time to time. Setting goals is an effective way to increase motivation and to help you to create the changes you want. It can be used to improve health and relationships, or improve productivity at work.

Setting goals can also be an important step in the recovery from mental illness. Common disorders like depression or anxiety can make it hard to function at work or home, or relate to others. Setting goals can be used as part of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) to start the process of getting well and rebuilding a meaningful life.

How do goals work?

Having goals is a good way to focus attention on the things that are important. It allows us to create a vision of how we would like our life to be. When we have a goal, we tend to increase the amount of time and effort we spend on an activity, and develop effective strategies to achieve that goal.

Types of goals

There are as many different goals as there are human activities. Goals can be short, long or medium-term and can be individual or collective:

• health: i.e. weight loss, training for and completing an endurance event, learning a new sport, quitting smoking or reducing alcohol
• career and business: improving work performance, gaining a promotion or changing careers
• education: completing a diploma or degree, learning a new language, achieving certain results in school
• relationships and family: spending time with children or partner, reducing conflict or making friends
• creative/artistic: learning a musical instrument, cooking, starting a photo album or blog, writing a novel
• community or volunteer work: coaching a sporting team, starting a charity project or spiritual practice
• financial: saving money, reducing debt or achieving investment goals
• collective goals: working on a community project

Goals and values

People often confuse goals and values, but they are quite different. Goals tend to be specific and achievable, and they can be ticked off and completed. Values represent what is important in life and tend to be ongoing — they don’t have an end point.

Goals are successful when they are based on our values. For example, if family relationships are an important value, related goals could be to spend regular evenings out with a partner and read with the children each night.

Goal setting and mental health

A reduced ability to achieve everyday tasks can be an indication of stress, depression or mental illness. Visiting a doctor or mental health professional can help to rule out underlying problems.

Setting goals

Whether your goals are big or small, the first step to achieve them is to decide what they are. Start with the things you enjoy. We are happiest when we use our strengths. Identify any goals associated with your strengths.

Make sure you focus on what you want to do, not what you think you should do. Setting small goals will be easier to achieve. For example, instead of saying “I will lose weight”, you could say “I will lose 2kg”.

SMART goals

Once you’ve decided your goals, the SMART theory of goal setting might help you to achieve them. The theory is based on years of academic research and became popular in the 1980s. Below are the 5 criteria of SMART goals that should give you the best chance of success.

• Specific. Be clear about what you are aiming for — your goals should include specifics such as ‘who, where, when, why and what’. For example, rather than ‘do more exercise’, your goal could be to ‘walk for 30 minutes five days a week’.
• Measurable. Set goals that you can measure. Your goals should include a quantity of ‘how much’ or ‘how many’: for example drinking 2 litres of water per day.
• Achievable. Set goals that you are able to do. Setting a harder goal might lead to a better outcome, but only as long as you can achieve it. Goals that are too difficult can be discouraging and could lead to you giving up.
• Realistic. Set goals that are practical for you and your circumstances. Walking an hour a day might be difficult if you don’t get home from work until 8pm every day.
• Time-related. Set a timeframe and have an endpoint. Deadlines can motivate your efforts and prioritise the task above other distractions.