TSSI #3 – My Goal-Setting System
Today, I'm going to teach you my process for goal-setting.
In my experience, setting clear goals improves focus and motivation which increases performance. Decades of research backs this up.
Unfortunately, most people make a huge mess of the goal-setting process. At times, goal-setting made me anxious, have little clarity, and I lost my way at the first obstacle.
Success doesn't happen by chance. It happens from a carefully architected plan.
The goal-setting system that I'm going to teach you today came from years of trial-and-error.
The benefits of this system are:
It reduces the anxiety that big goals create
It helps you prioritize on a daily basis
It helps you overcome road-blocks and obstacles
It leads to fulfillment (even if you don't achieve the goal)
Here's my 4-step process:
Step 1: Set your SMART outcome goal
What is the desired outcome that you want? Is it to have a million dollars in the bank. Be ranked Top 100 in the world. To own your own bakery?
The goal has to be:
Specific - "Top 250 ATP", not "be a good tennis player"
Measurable - "Increase sales by 25%" not "make more money"
Attainable - "Lose 10kg's in 3 months" not "lose 20kg's in 2 weeks"
Relevant - Aligned with your beliefs, values and the bigger picture e.g. family, team or organization.
Time-bound - have a deadline for achievement. "a thousand more followers in 3 months"
One important point on 'Relevant' goals. The goal must be in alignment with your values and beliefs.
Example: if your goal is to make a million dollars, but you have a deep-rooted belief that rich people are bad people. You are far less likely to achieve this goal because it goes against your belief.
You will self-sabotage and make excuses etc.
So, align the goal with your values and beliefs (or challenge those limiting beliefs).
Step 2: Set your SMART process goals (the plan)
“A goal without a plan is just a dream”
Some people like to call them long-term and short-term goals. I prefer, outcome and process goals.
I like to focus on 3-5 key things that will help me move towards my desired outcome (step 1).
I've found that limiting the number of process goals helps me achieve my outcome goal. Why?
Ever try improving 10 things at once? You end up improving none.
Good Example:
Outcome goal: Top 250 ATP
Process goals:
Improve serve speed by 5mph by July
Visualize every morning for 10 minutes
Increase endurance to level 15 on the Beep-test by July
From these smaller process-goals, you can then make a plan to achieve them. Again, make them SMART goals.
This plan then helps us prioritize our day.
Being able to tick-off these smaller process goals builds confidence.
They also reduce the anxiety that you feel when you have a big goal without steps to get there.
STEP 3: Re-assess often and plan for obstacles
Life is unpredictable and progress is rarely smooth. It's important that we come up with a plan for the plan not to go to plan.
Sometimes, we get injured and we won't reach the deadline.
Sometimes, we improve in one area, but we see that a different area might have more of an impact in helping us achieve our desired outcome.
Sometimes we end up missing a day of visualization because our alarm doesn't go off. Life happens. But it's important that this doesn't derail us.
I liked to set a time to reassess my goals every few months. In this time, I self-reflect.
I ask myself questions like:
How can I get back on the horse when I miss a day or two?
What might be the obstacles that get in the way?
Is there a different process goal that might have more impact?
What's working well and I should continue doing?
What's not working and needs to change?
Pick a period and reflect on your goals - two weeks, a month, two months. Your choice.
STEP 4: Increasing your chances of achievement
I've found two things help me with the goal-setting and achievement process:
Social Support.
Visual charts.
Social Support
Having a coach, mentor or friend help you with this process increases your chances of success.
Why?
They can challenge you.
Provide different viewpoints and opinions.
Give you objective feedback.
Hold you accountable.
Encourage you.
An idea for accountability: Post your goals and progress on social media.
As the saying goes, "if it's not on instagram, did it even happen?"
Visual Charts
Having a chart on your wall that you can tick off to keep track of your progress is motivating.
I've kept charts for things like daily journaling, stretching, and sleep. Being able to tick-off actions daily feels like progress and increases motivation.
Wrapping up
Architecting your goals will give you the best chance at achieving them.
But, I'm a strong believer that not achieving outcome goals is not failure.
“A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at”
Goals are just a guidepost to our journey. So make them challenging.
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.”
