Now you have a clear understanding of why goal setting is so important and it is time to actually set goals that will lead you through the next year or so of your life. This is where you get to take an honest look at your unfulfilled dreams and put them down on paper as goals that you are going to actually work toward accomplishing. Does that sound exciting? It should!

Long vs. Short Term Goals

When you say you want to lose 100 pounds that is a long term goal because it will take a considerable amount of time to actually achieve. When you break that 100 pound goal into 10% increments you have now created short term goals.

In order for goal setting to be effective your long term goals should reflect your most pressing ambitions in life while still being realistic. Your short term goals should be small steps that ultimately lead up to those big ambitions.

Are you ready to set goals? Set aside a bit of time to sit without any distractions and start the goal setting process.

Step 1: Set goal categories.

Take a few sheets of paper and title each one with a category of your life that you would like to set goals for. For instance, you may need to set goals for your business, health, finances, or education.

Step 2: Brainstorm goals.

Now, write down everything that you would like to accomplish at some point in your life in each category. Do this quickly without editing yourself mid-stream.

Step 3: Set a time frame.

Now that you have a rough list that represents your biggest aspirations, go down each list and write down how many years you think it might take you to actually accomplish each of those goals.

Step 4: Select your top five.

Now, go back through your lists one more time and highlight or circle the top five goals which you believed could be accomplished within a year. For now we are going to completely ignore the larger ambitions that you have assigned into your distant future.

Step 5: Set goals that are well defined.

Take out a clean sheet of paper and write down your top five goals. You want to work with them until they are more defined and specific. In order to be effective, goal setting must be very specific so you know exactly what you are aiming for. For instance, a goal to lose 100 pounds is specific but “lose weight” is not.

These goals must also be measurable, so determine how you will measure success. For instance, our 100 pound goal could be measured with weekly weigh-ins on one scale, at the same time of day.

Finally, each of these specific goals must be assigned a date by which you will reach them. Think of everything you must do to reach them and set a realistic date.

Step 6: Find the benefits.

Now, write a short paragraph about why you set each goal and what the benefits will be to achieving them. This will serve as your motivation to keep going to the end.

Remember, goal setting works best if you are not overwhelmed by your goal. If you need to set a series of short term goals that will lead up to the final goal, make them specific and measurable and assign them dates as well.

Author Bio: This article is brought to you by Anais Bouchard and RockinHammocks.com. We carry the top brand hammocks, hanging chairs, stands and accessories by Hatteras Hammocks and Outback Chair. To learn more, visit our site or call 1-800-652-4098.

Category: Self Help
Keywords: goals,goal setting,setting goal,set goals,setting goals,smart goals,achieve goals,how to set goals