The art and science of setting and achieving goals
“Achievement is a science, you can learn the science of achievement. Follow its rules, and you’ll achieve the things you want. Fulfilment on the other hand, is an art. The greatest tragedy in life is to achieve everything you wanted, but lack fulfilment.”
If you’re someone who wants to live a deliberate life, then this article is for you. We explore the principles behind the art and science of goals so you set and achieve goals that add meaning and joy to your life.
The science.
The Science: Setting goals
Here are some tried-and-tested principles for goal setting:
1. Be specific. Setting a goal is essentially sending an instruction to your brain. Your brain is prewired to solve instructions, but if you set general non-specific goals, you end up with the opposite of the desired auto-response you want from your brain.
Well written goals have attributes known as SMART attributes. These goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-bound. The very first attribute of a smart goal is to be specific. Describe the goal in as much detail as possible and avoid leaving anything to interpretation.
2. Be aware of your subconscious drivers. Well considered goals take advantage of your subconscious motivations. You can uncover these deeper aspects of your psyche by examining your beliefs and values.
By knowing your beliefs, you’ll avoid conflict between what you say you want (your goals), and what you believe is possible. Often people self-sabotage themselves by setting a goal which they don’t (really) believe is possible for them to achieve.
Later in the article, we explain that wanting goals isn’t enough. You have to expect that they’re possible too, which speaks to this point.
Another subsconscious driver to consider are your values. By knowing your values, you’ll also avoid the risk of setting goals that contradict or conflict with your values.
For example, you may have a goal to launch a new business, but you value your free time and feel entitled to spend it on things you enjoy–this could create friction between your conscious desire to achieve your goal and your subconscious resistance to sacrificing your free time in the pursuit of it.
3. Set a vision. Effective goals should be guided by a bigger vision for your life which describes who you want to become. This isn’t often cited in popular literature, but is a key component of goals that are integrated and consistent with a sense of the person you want to become and the contribution you ultimately want to make.
A great way of making sure you set goals that are consistent with a larger vision, is to begin with writing your vision. We’ll talk more about the art of vision writing later in the post.
The Science: Achieving goals
Heidi Grant Halvorson, author of Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals recently shared four principles that goal achievers follow. We've already covered the first earlier in the article, namely, being specific.
The other three principles are:
2. Decide when and where you'll act on your goals,
3. Shift your mindset to focus on improvement and incremental progress rather than fixation on the outcome and impossible standards and
4. Focus on what you'll do, not on what you won't do
These principles are consistent with other well-documented approaches to increase the odds of achieving your goals.
In addition to Heidi’s list, consider the following:
Chunk your goals down
Neuroscientists have confirmed that our brains are predisposed to avoid pain and seek pleasure, when we set a big audacious intimidating goal, we shut down the brain's capacity to problem solve. By breaking our goals down into manageable, actionable short-term objectives (or better yet, processes) we engage the brain's natural preference for process over outcome and we drastically increase the odds of actually achieving the goal.
Develop an action plan
An action plan improves the odds of achieving your goal by addressing the risk of your brain perceiving the goal as insurmountable. Invite input and feedback from trusted people who've achieved a similar goal or have valuable experience.
Track your progress
Track your progress and course correct or change your goal altogether where necessary. Achieving goals is more likely if you select and stay consistent with an effective routine or ritual, and less likely if you resort to taking big inconsistent once-in-a-while actions towards your goals.
Block time
The last step is a crucial one. If you are going to improve your odds of goal achievement, you must schedule it. Time blocking is a term coined and popularised by the authors of The ONE Thing, Gary Keller and Jay Papasan.
In essence, time blocking is blocking off time in your calendar to focus without interruption on the one thing you've chosen to dedicate that time blocked session to.
If you establish time blocking as a habit and follow it with discipline and focus, it will make a significant contribution to your goal achievement 'hit rate'.
The Art.
So... that's the science of goal achievement done and dealt with. Let's explore the art of goal setting and achievement.
Many of the principles shared below are grounded in the assertion that enjoyment and engagement in the moment, on a short-term basis is a critical determinant of whether you will achieve a longer-term goal.
A Harvard Business Review (HBR) article cites several studies, one of which HBR conducted themselves that provide evidence of the importance of finding enjoyment in the process of trying to achieve a goal. They make a compelling argument for the impact that enjoying the pursuit of a goal has on the likelihood of achieving it.
In a similar vein, author of Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth, describes a technique she exercises where she combines something she has to do, with something she wants to do. An example she recently shared is only allowing herself to watch one of her favourite TV shows when she's riding her exercise bike. Brilliant right?!
So the first principle behind the 'art' of goal achievement is to find joy in the process, not fixation in the destination.
“Find joy in the process, not fixation in the destination”
Relish the experience of defining 'future you'
Our Future Vision template invites customers who use it to take a moment in a quiet, uninterrupted private space, pour themselves a beloved drink and create an event around writing their Future Vision–this recommendation recognises the importance of setting your brain up to associate positive emotions and positive expectation with goal setting.
Speaking of expectation, that brings me to the next principle.
In order to change things around you, you have to change them within you first.
Jennice Vilhauer, PhD, author of Think Forward to Thrive argues that you don't get what you want, you get what you expect. And we couldn't agree more. Think about it. If you’re someone who has always wanted to be a world-class pianist, but you’ve never signed up for a lesson, picked up a piano-related book or never touched an actual piano, then you don’t need me to point out the odds of you achieving your goal.
Jennice points out that if we don’t expect to fulfil a goal, we will rarely put in the effort or take steps towards its fulfilment.
“You don’t get what you want, you get what you expect”
Expectation is grounded in a deeply held belief that a goal is not only possible, but inevitable too.
This requires inner work at the level of your core beliefs. In essence, achieving your most challenging goals needs you to work towards the goal (using the various techniques discussed above) AND work within yourself. This inner work includes uncovering your beliefs and identifying which are empowering you as you pursue your goals and which are limiting you and hindering your progress.
Make yourself accountable
One way to stick to consistent action is to set-up regular check-ins. You could do this alone or enlist a partner to create accountability and give you feedback where needed.
These check-ins will motivate you as you recognise and celebrate your progress. They should also offer a chance to question whether the goal itself is still worth pursuing, and if so, whether you're on track to achieve it.
“To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together”
This powerful quote emphasises the power of support and accountability in achieving really big goals. When all’s said and done, achieving goals comes down to consistent and persistent action in the direction of your goals until you get there.
We built a goal setting and achievement system for busy people called Your Perfect Year to allow you to focus on being consistent and persistent without having to worry about everything else when it comes to setting your goals and systematically working towards them.
Your Perfect Year gives you everything you need to set goals that excite you, figure out what to do at any given moment to realise your goals and follow a weekly system and template to track your progress.
