Goal Setting; How to Set Goals and Achieve Them on Time
Do you often set goals and not meet up with them?
Do you always schedule or plan some things to achieve within a particular period and end up not achieving them at all, even after a long time?
If your answer is YES, know that you are not alone. So many people are pinned in the same cycle of setting goals, forgetting about them, unable to complete them and then, setting the same goals again with a renewed but not lasting resolve to meet those goals.
But you can break through that cycle. Continue Reading to learn about the processes of setting goals and getting the most out of your business, your team and yourself.
Table of contents;
- What is goal setting?
- Why is goal setting important
- The theory of goal-setting
- How to achieve your goals on time.
What is Goal Setting?
Goal setting involves the development of an action plan designed to motivate and guide a person or group toward a goal. Goals are more deliberate than desires and momentary intentions. Therefore, setting goals means that a person has committed thought, emotion, and behaviour towards achieving that goal. In doing so, the goal setter has established a desired future state which differs from their current state thus creating a mismatch which in turn brings up future actions.
Goal Setting in English is the process of deciding what you want to achieve or what you want someone else to achieve over a particular period: In a company or organization, Goal setting will only be successful if there is a collaborative approach between employee and manager.
Goal setting is also the process of defining specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives that an individual or organization aims to achieve. It involves identifying the desired outcomes and developing a plan for achieving them.
Why is goal setting important?
Goals provide a framework for action and direction. They help identify what needs to be done, by when, and why.
Goal-setting process also serves as a motivational tool that helps people focus their efforts, stay on track, and measure their progress. It can also help to increase accountability and ensure that resources are used effectively and efficiently.
Goal setting provides a sense of direction and focus, which helps in altering the behaviours and attitudes required to accomplish the objectives. It gives you momentum and a thrust that pushes you in the direction of self-mastery to improve every day and be resilient in challenging periods.
Goal-setting benefits not only the employee but the organization as a whole. Considering the importance of goal setting, a good amount of time should be devoted to it. In this article, we will discuss why goal-setting is important for your employees.
1. Motivates Personnel/Persona
Goal setting keeps employees motivated by enhancing a culture of accountability and tracking the progress of the organization. It enables employees to stay focused and aligned with the company’s strategic objectives, resulting in improved overall organizational performance.
Goal setting helps you have a mindset of reaching a target and encourages you to continue until you achieve that objective. It helps to keep you going on track
2. Helps you place priority on that work
Having a clear goal in mind helps in focusing on priorities. Once the goals are decided, they can be taken up for completion in order of their priorities. This allows tasks to be completed on time and in a logical order.
The ability to prioritize goals shows your ability to plan and focus ahead. This makes you better prepared and clear on what work needs to be completed and how long it will be completed.
3. Decision Making
Goals help in enhancing your decision-making skills. They serve as a guide in the decision-making process. Before taking any decision, you will evaluate it against the goal that you are trying to achieve. Every decision is taken based on the outcome of the decision.
Similarly, this applies at an organizational level, where every decision is taken, thinking about how it will affect the business. Goals are useful for employees when they come across challenging projects as they will help them in making wise decisions.
4. Guides employees
In an organizational setting, setting goals guides employees in moving forward in the organization. It acts as a roadmap for the employee towards achieving what they want. For example, if an employee wants to become a CEO someday, writing down that goal with details on what steps they will take to achieve it, can help them with the goal. Properly thought and stated goals will not only guide the employee continuously but will help in improving the skills and capabilities of the employees.
The same applies to you personally, goal setting can guide your path to achieve what you want when you properly ruminate on it and write it down. It can lead you towards the path of achieving your goal.
5. Time Management
If you want to improve how you manage time – stop doing what doesn’t need to be done! -Peter Drucker.
Time is one of the most important resources for every business. Having a clear goal in place will help employees to manage their time effectively. Goals help in prioritizing work and prevent employees from working on things that are irrelevant and getting distracted.
Goal Setting helps you manage your time well as long as you maintain a mindset of achieving your goals and debunking any form of distractions that will waste your time.
The theory of goal setting;
Locke, et al (1981) defined the “goal” in Goal-Setting Theory (GST) as “what an individual is trying to accomplish; it is the object or aim of an action”
Goal Setting Theory explains the mechanisms by which goals influence behaviour, and how the latter can be moderated by the characteristics of a goal (difficulty and specificity), the level of commitment, the importance of the goal, levels of self-efficacy, feedback, and task complexity.
Interventions focusing on goal setting may help individuals manage each of these aspects to improve their chances of success. For instance, a social media intervention may be designed to help increase commitment to a goal by making it public and may facilitate feedback on progress towards a goal, which can, in turn, improve self-efficacy and performance of the behaviour.
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Steps on How to Achieve Your Goals on Time;
At the initial stage of setting your goals, involve your Creator. He’s the only one that can help and give you ideas for achieving your goals.
Achieving any goal requires self-discipline. It involves a conscious awareness of our actions and the ability to overcome some of the bad habits that can hinder us. Instilling self-discipline into your life is not an easy task.
It requires steady attention to your actions and determination to desire to achieve something big.
To achieve your goal in life, you need to deeply desire the goal that you want. Weak desires bring weak results. You need to have a strong desire to achieve the goal. You have to decide what you want. Start to think about what these goals mean to you. Take time to think about why you are setting the goal you have chosen.
Your goal must be clear and well-defined. Generalized goals are unhelpful because they don’t provide sufficient direction. Remember, you need the goals to guide you on the path to success.
Once you set your goal, you need to start getting more specific. It moves from a dream into reality. Make a plan, it must move from your mind to a piece of paper.
If you have 3 goals in life, you have to rank your goals. Ranking them will help you focus on those that are most meaningful to you. You need to spend time thinking about how these goals affect your life. This will help you determine the benefits of striving towards your goal. This can help boost your motivation.
In conclusion, Write down the things that you need to do. What do you want to achieve? How will your life be when you achieve your goal? Qualities that you admire in others. Improves the qualities you have. Habits that you want to stop and habits that you want to improve.
God Bless You
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