How to set goals and stick to them if you’ve ever found yourself setting goals but struggling to follow through, we can assure you that you are not alone. According to a study by the University of Scranton, only 8% of people who set goals in the new year, achieve them. Frightening? We think so too but you don’t have to become a statistic.
Here are 4 of our top tips for setting – and actually achieving your goals:
1.) Set smaller, attainable goals
According to the psychologist, Lynn Bufka, setting small, attainable goals, rather than one overwhelming ambition, is more effective in helping you what you strive for. Instead of planning to write a book in 2023, for example, aim to write just 300 words a day.
If you want to achieve results, you need to understand that you’re going to need to create habits. This can be a great thing, as habits are a key strategy in developing successful personalities. However, creating powerful habits is not always straightforward. In fact, it never is. This is because habits form as a result of how we use our time and energy and are thus shaped by numerous factors, including circumstances, routines, and the people around us. Although these components might seem daunting at first, they’re actually quite small—hence the “atomic” in “atomic habits”—and once you start working out how to manage them all, you’ll begin making rapid progress with your online development.
2.) Have an end goal in mind
Imagining the result of what you’re setting out to achieve is a great motivation for sticking to it. The sooner you envision your end goal, the clear your path to success will become. In Charles Duhigg’s, The Power of Habit, he writes about how Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, who was dubbed the most decorated Olympian of all time, was coached to replay a video in his mind, whenever he swam. There wasn’t a real video; it was his own vision of what winning looked and felt like. At every practice session, Phelps’ coach would ask him to recall the video until swimming to the finish line became automatic. This allowed them to track potential obstacles and come up with solutions to accelerate Phelps’ progress.
3.) Avoid multitasking
Arianna Huffington, founder of Huffington Post and author of Thrive, says that multitasking is the enemy of creativity and that eliminating distractions will improve your productivity drastically. “Really give your full attention to what you are creating,” she says.
4.) Exercise your willpower
Scientists believe that one’s will can be fatigued, just as muscles become weak after too much activity. One underrated way to train your willpower is to do consistent physical exercise, which will also make you feel better.
Here’s an anti-distraction quiz by Playbuzz to help you eliminate your biggest distraction: let’s see