1) Write down your goals

People often talk about goals but do not write them down. These include New Year’s resolutions which are often started with good intentions, but soon evaporate into thin air because they are not written down, planned for properly and monitored. Dreams come and go and so do New Year’s resolutions. Without having them galvanised in ink on the page they are fantasy and soon forgotten. However, once a goal is written down it is easier to monitor and measure for results. The act of writing down a goal has the affect of galvanising it, and making it real.

2) Give your goals completion target dates

A goal without a completion target date is not realistic because there is no end time in sight and therefore no finish time to work towards. People often say that they want this and that but have no realistic plan with finish dates in mind. Goals without completion target dates cannot be properly planned for; they are fantasy and tend to drift on for ever.

3) Write your goals in the present tense

Writing goals in the present tense has the psychological affect of helping you to picture what it will be like to have completed your goal already. Goals which are written in the present tense appear to have already been achieved. For example, instead of writing, ‘I will be in control of my finances,’ write, ‘I am in control of my finances.’ This will have the effect of helping you to picture in your mind what it will be like to have already mastered this goal.

4) Use Positive language to express you goals

You may be tempted to use negative words in your goals i.e. don’t, can’t, couldn’t shouldn’t and won’t. Instead, re-phrase them by using their positive opposites, can, could, should and will. For example, instead of writing, ‘I want to leave my job,’ write, ‘I will create an action plan which will result in obtaining my dream career.’ Remember, everything is possible if we have a proper plan of action!

5) Monitor your goals daily

Monitoring your goals daily will keep them fresh in your mind, you will not have a chance to forget about them. Make monitoring your goals a habit and you will not stray from them. Reviewing your goals will help you to keep focused on them.

6) Clearly define your goal destinations

Be clear about what you are going to achieve. If your goal is not written clearly, it will be difficult to know if you have achieved it or not. A goal which states a tidy room will be clearly seen when it is achieved. It is important that you know when you have achieved what you have planned for or else you will not know what to aim for.

7) Give your goals a series of measurable actions

Start with your primary goal in mind and then work backwards to establish a series of measurable smaller actions. Measurable actions can be monitored better because you will be able to check the effectiveness of their results. These results become milestones (signposts) and will move you closer to achieving your primary goal.

8) Celebrate the achievements of your actions and goals with a reward

Rewards are incentives which encourage you to complete your actions and primary goal. A reward could be something nice like chocolate, or can be as simple as the good feeling you get from knowing that you have achieved your goal, E.G. my reward could be that I feel good about being in control of my finances.

9) Don’t limit your goals

People often limit their goals by making them conditional on other factors. For example, ‘I will have that nice holiday when…’ Instead, aim high by setting the goal, ‘I am having that nice holiday.’ This then becomes a positive measurable target upon which to build a series of actions which will help you achieve your goal.

10) Have a well defined support structure

You do not have to achieve your primary goals and associated actions on your own. Think about the support you need to help you. These are resources and could be people or things. For instance, in order to complete a college assignment, you may need the support of your friends by asking them not to call you when you are studying and the material resource of a computer to complete the typing work.