Day 26: Personal Goal Setting
Hey kids! Almost done! This is the end of week 4…Tuesday marks the official “last day” of the 30-day Challenge. We’ve been having a lot of fun with this and now it’s time to turn you loose. Of course, we’ll still be around with our regular posts, so you won’t have to go far to find us.
Today, a quick rehash of something I’ve talked about before: personal goal setting. Previously, I talked about it in terms of workout goals, but the same rules I mentioned there apply here.
Just to revisit the “rules of goal-setting,” your goals must be:
- Specific – Do you know exactly what it is that you’re trying to do and why?
- Measurable – Is there a set of criteria you can use for measuring progress?
- Attainable – I lump this in with Realistic, but I’m sure there’s some Life Coach out there that can tell us what it really means.
- Realistic – Can you really and truly accomplish this goal? Stretch goals are good. Unrealistic or unmotivating goals are bad.
- Timely – A goal should have a timeframe. “I want to do X by Y.”
Personal Goal Setting
Just a week ago I read a discussion of a study that proved that writing down your goals made you more likely to reach them than just thinking about them. Obviously, writing them down is more effective than not having goals in terms of getting where you want to go. Unfortunately, I can’t find the post or the site that it was on. So we’ll work with something else I found in my search.
I found this study on Sid Savara’s site. Here is the gist…a study at Dominican University divided people into 1 of 5 groups with different ways of dealing with their 4-week goals. They were also asked to rate their goals on the following dimensions: Difficulty, Importance, the extent to which they had the Skills & Resources to accomplish the goal, their Commitment and Motivation to the goal, whether or not they had Pursued this goal before and if so their Prior Success.
The five groups were as follows:
- Think about their goals
- Write (type into the online survey) their goals.
- Formulate action commitments.
- Formulate action commitments and send their goals and action commitments to a supportive friend.
- Formulate action commitments and send their goals, action commitments and weekly progress reports to a supportive friend.
The 4 groups that wrote down their goals were 50% more likely to achieve them. Having a friend involved made the participant more likely to achieve their goals than just writing them down. For some odd reason, setting up actionable goals didn’t make them more likely to hit the target than just writing their goals down.
Regardless, I think having an action plan is a good idea. What’s the saying: “A goal without a plan is just a wish”? Something like that.
Task For The Day: Write Down Goals
Alright, the final task I get to give you is a simple one, yet it’s not all that easy. You’ve already proven that you are determined to be healthy, look good, feel good, and enjoy life just by sticking with this for 30 days.
Now it’s time to take it a step further and figure out where you are going to go from here. You could forget everything you’ve done in the last month and end up next January on another “resolution rollercoaster”. Or you could keep up the new habits you’ve learned and keep progressing.
Your goals don’t necessarily have to be health- or fitness-oriented. I have tons of goals written down, in the form of 101 Things In 1001 Days. I’m actually only about 6 months from the end of my first run through 1001 days (about 2.75 years). I’ve hit around half of them already and have another 25% that’ll be crossed off the list very soon (some were on-going and can’t really be measured until the end). My goals range from fitness to financial to places I want to travel.
Enough rambling…your task it to sit down and pick at least 5 goals that you want to accomplish in the next 6-12 months. Alternatively, go the full monte and do a 101 Things In 1001 Days (or 25 things or 73 things or 51 things). I don’t care if your goal is to save $10,000 or lose 5% bodyfat…write it down.
I like long-term planning because it allows you to reach for things you can’t pull off in a month, but there’s nothing wrong with setting up goals that build on each other. In fact, it’s somewhat like having an action plan.
If you’re really motivated, come up with an action plan with several steps you need to take to hit each goal. For instance, all of my fitness-related goals roll into my general training plan. My training plan is designed specifically to get me to my goals.
Great work over the last 30 days, everyone! Where do you plan to go from here? What are your goals?
Table of contents for 30-Day Challenge
- Day 1: Elimination and Detox Phase Starts Now
- Day 2: Planning Your Daily Meals
- Day 3: Managing Time for What is Important
- Day 4: Spicing It Up And Healthy Snacking
- Day 5: Bodyweight Exercises Workout Challenge
- Day 8: Get More Sleep
- Day 10: The Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
- Day 12: Finding Quality Food
- Day 15 – Phase II – Reintroduce, Rotate and Reflect
- Day 17: Healthy Eating Out
- How to Set Up the Simple Home Gym Fitness Program
- Day 22: Healthy Dessert Recipes
- Day 24: Reduce Stress and Simplify Your Life
- Day 26: Personal Goal Setting
- Day 30: Phase III – Adjust and Maintain
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12 Reader Comments
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Going to write mine down again. Most of them expired in Dec.
I have a few new ones written in scattered places right now, but it’s time to get organized
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After reading this post I just wrote down some health and finance goals (these two things have been on my mind the most lately).
For health my goals are to keep a low % BF (this is arbitrary, based on how happy I am with what the mirror shows), while being able to enjoy food when I want it (at social gatherings.) this requires structure. I need to structure for myself what exactly I am allowed or am not allowed and when.
My financial goals are saving some money, and cutting back on costs (especially on food). The first part of this is keeping track of what I’m spending..I started on this goal 4 days ago, and am monitoring my expenditures.
Fortunately the two goals are related..often when I eat unhealthy it is because I succumb to temptation and buy something on the go (which is more expensive).
Thanks a lot for the great posts this past month!
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I will do that! Thanks for the tips
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Lately I have been making to do lists which are like short term goals for the day. I was never any good at doing things like this. But this time I made the goals extremely small and specific. Now I really get things done in the day because I know it won’t take long to finish each goal. I also promise myself a short break after each one so there is a reward at the end. This too has been very motivating.
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[...] Personal Goal Setting [...]
As a personal trainer I have seen how the power of goal setting can turn around a life in just a few short weeks and completely makeover ones life in a matter of months. There is something powerful about writing things down and looking at it everyday.
I have taken it to the next level and give my clients BIG TARGETS to shoot for ie. Run a 5k race, get to 5% body fat and then have them make up small daily and weekly goals that move them closer toward the target with each positive action they take. Thanks for this terrific series.
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Just wanted to say that I didn’t participate in this challenge but I followed along in the reading and will be starting up my own shortly. I just wasn’t ready in January. You did a great job with this! Thanks.
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@Mike and Scott
Thanks a lot for this challenge , the timing was perfect for me , I wanted to join another one last year but in August ,holidays , travelling …etc.
It was great as the concepts eventhough not new to me where given step by step with 2-3 days in between , time that I could focuse on each and try to fit them to my daily life,so with out knowing it I have buit a plan during this challenge.
I had no hardship sticking to it or almost close. I have learnt many technics, which can aid me to carry on with it. I feel sorry it is over as motivational wise was great.
I have learnt that many foods that I considered harmless, in deed I need to go moderate with them. Have lost 14 lbs, which was hard to get rid off after quit smoking last March. I love to lose another 10 but no hurry, ( As they say a women is never slim or rich enough!!!). JOKING:)
I like to gain some muscle and get stonger , so 2010 is when I real make work out as a part of my life , the way 2009 I did with clean eating.
Thanks to every one for the company, Chris ,Jen, Lel, Sam………
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I made these sweet indulgence for today: Giant almond and hazelnut muffins+heavy cream+fruit+dark chocolate shaving. Delish!!
http://twitpic.com/10p6f9
Is a special festive day!
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[...] “Personal Goal Setting“, Fitness [...]
Thank you gentlemen for your sponsoring of this challenge. I learned quite a bit about my body’s response to sugar. (The day I introduced that, I ended up awake in bed for an extra two-three hours, unable to sleep!)
As it turns out, I lost weight, which is exciting, since I wasn’t sure if I had. It’s somewhere between 4 and 10 pounds! (I weighed in before we started, but that was right after partying for New Year’s and the temporary weight gain involved in that.)
My goal for the foreseeable future: keep the grain/sugar free lifestyle during the week, but don’t worry as much on weekends, when hanging out with friends. Cheese is here to stay.
Thanks again guys!
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Now i have understood what the importance of goal is and also understand how to set our goal. This post is very helpful for me to set my goal. After reading this post first thing i will do that i will set my personal goals then i will achieve my goals. Thanks for the help.
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