Last month we looked at how to set SMART goals, and I hope if you didn’t already have some, you tried setting some SMART goals for yourself.
Studies show that putting your SMART goals into writing and reviewing them regularly will increase your chances of success. In fact, some studies show that you are as much as 42% more likely to follow through with your goals if you write them down. Writing your goals down will help you get a clear picture of your plan and what you want to accomplish.
Logging your goals will also help motivate you to complete the tasks needed in order for success of your goal. Frequently reviewing what you’ve written will remind you of both your plan, and your “why,” in turn, boosting your motivation to keep progressing toward your goal.
Write Your Goals
Setting your goals in writing when you first think about them will help your brain encode your plan. The mere act of writing down an idea makes it more likely you will remember it. After all, why do we take notes during presentations or meetings? Similarly, when you draft your goal in writing, you have a better chance of success.
After writing out your goal, be sure to place it somewhere that you can see it easily. Places like on the fridge, on your phone, on a mirror, at your desk are all excellent areas, where you can easily and regularly see your goal. Seeing the words you wrote serves as a reminder and as motivation to continue with your efforts.
Review Your Goal
As well as reading your goal regularly and keeping it at the forefront of your mind, you should also take the time for an active review of your goal. Regularly, actively reviewing your written goal will increase your chances of success. This could include looking at your progress, what you’ve found easy and what you’ve found difficult, as well as your plans for the next period.
A review of your goal could include considering the reasons why you set this particular goal. Thinking about the reasons you set the particular goal will boost your motivation by reminding you why the goal matters to you, why you set it and what you expect to gain from it. Of course, it could also happen that your life or priorities change and your goal is no longer relevant. In that case, it’s better to know sooner so that you can change course.
These two simple steps can take your SMART goals from an idle thought, forgotten by 31 January, to a committed plan and a real difference in your life by 31 December.