Top Ten Ways to Set and Reach Your Goals 

Resources on: Goals, Reach, Truly, Matter and Follow

Learn the ten steps to follow to set and reach the goals that truly matter to you. 


If you made New Year's resolutions this year, you may be very aware of how difficult it is to stick with new goals. How can you keep your good intentions? Start by taking a good hard look at the goals themselves, and then take effective, focused action to achieve them -- as outlined in the following ten steps.

Step 1. Don't kid yourself: Choose goals that you truly care about. 

To meet this criterion, they must (a) reflect something of great value to you and (b) have clear, direct benefits that you will actively appreciate. A goal that is a reluctant "should," rather than something you genuinely want and will appreciate often, is unlikely to be attractive enough to keep you going.

Step 2. Express your goals in a way that points to what you value and how you will benefit. 

If you find yourself using general phrases preceded by "try to" or "ought to," you haven't yet zeroed in on what you want and why it is compelling. 

Example 1: "I ought to go on a diet." 

Much more inspiring: "I want to achieve a weight at which I feel healthy, comfortable, and attractive."

Example 2: "I'll try to be more efficient at work." 

Much more inspiring: "I want to manage my time so that I can meet deadlines and avoid taking work home."

Step 3. Write a detailed description of how your life will be improved, and save it to re-read at those inevitable moments when you lose momentum. 

In addition to a compelling statement of the goal itself (see step 2), your description should include: a list of the specific ways in which you will benefit, and a description of how you will feel when the goal is achieved. Write to inspire, so that you can remind yourself of why this goal was important to you in the first place.

Step 4. Take stock of what stands in your way. 

If you are to devise an effective strategy for reaching your goal, you will need to understand the lay of the land – especially, what has gotten in the way of reaching this goal up until now, and what might get in the way in the future. For example, does access to junk food in your kitchen sabotage your diet? Are interruptions at work reducing your efficiency there? You may even be putting up internal roadblocks to reaching your goal (see step 5)…

Step 5. Ask yourself how your thinking needs to shift for you to reach this goal. 

If you are quite frank with yourself, are there actually reasons that you don't want to reach it? You may be surprised when you consider your answer: often we have a vested interest in preserving the status quo. Change, after all, involves challenging or asserting ourselves in new ways – so be ready to upgrade how you see yourself and your capabilities. 

Step 6. Identify three to five specific, measurable actions that will move you toward your goal. 

More than this number is likely to become unrealistic and overwhelming (see step 7), and fewer may not be enough to keep you going. Far more important than the number of actions, however, is how they are defined. 

Example 1: I will achieve my target weight by a) exercising more, b) watching what I eat, and c) keeping junk food out of my house.

Much more effective: I will achieve my target weight by 
a) walking 6 times each week for 30 minutes, 
b) eating dessert only once a week, and 

c) taking a list of healthy foods to the grocery store and buying only what is on that list.

Example 2: I will become more efficient at work by
a) taking on less work,
b) avoiding interruptions, and 
c) spending my time on high priority projects.

Much more effective: I will become more efficient at work by
a) meeting with my boss each week to discuss what is high priority and what can be delegated,
b) designating a daily block of time when my door will be closed and I won't answer the phone, and
c) choosing one high priority task for each of those blocks of time. 

Step 7. Identify not only what you will do, but WHEN you will do it. 

This step, more than any other, may make the difference between good intentions and actual results. It is essential to designate time for the actions you will take, or they simply won't happen. To be realistic, this means that you will have to eliminate or reduce the time that you were formerly spending on something else. If you try to stuff a new goal into your current routine, you're likely to achieve only greater levels of stress and frustration.

NOTE: If you can't realistically fit your intentions into your daily life, go back to steps 1 and 6 and reduce the number of goals and/or actions. Far better to choose fewer steps and get them done, than to dream over a longer wish list. 

Step 8. Create visual reminders and tracking systems for each action step, and put them where you cannot help but see them. (Otherwise… out of sight, out of mind.) 

In other words, don't just decide to walk 6 times a week – put an exercise calendar on your refrigerator and write down when you walk. Similarly, don't just decide to meet regularly with your boss – schedule the meetings for every Monday on your calendar and use them to make a list of high-priority tasks that you post by your phone.

Step 9. Create allies and a support structure. 

If you keep your goals to yourself, it's much easier to let them slide. But if you let a few friends or coworkers know about them, your resolve will automatically be higher and you may create helpful allies – coworkers who are less likely to interrupt when your door is shut, or friends who will offer words of encouragement. 

An even stronger step is to ask someone with a similar goal to partner with you, or arrange to check in with a friend, family member, or coach on a regular basis. You can even hire one of your kids to help track your efforts – they will welcome the opportunity to remind you of what you are supposed to be doing!

Step 10. Reward yourself by finding ways to celebrate the benefits of what you achieve.

To truly make your goal a work-in-progress, instead of some distant possibility, reap the benefits as you go along. Have you made progress toward your target weight? 

Consider buying a new outfit that feels comfortable and attractive, or joining that health club you were too self-conscious to go into last year. Have you met an important deadline on time without taking work home? Reward yourself by spending an evening doing something special with people you care about.

Copyright © 2004 by Ruth Anderson
VANTAGE POINT Coaching & Consulting
Ruth Anderson is a personal and professional coach, owner of VANTAGE POINT Coaching & Consulting, and creator of the unique "Introduction to Coaching" and "Job Search Tune-Up" programs. Visit her at http://www.vantagepointcoaching.com, or write ruth@vantagepointcoaching.com to learn more.