Goal Achievement for Dummies
A simple approach to consistently achieving your goals
I’ve spent way too much of my life thinking about goals. I’ve hit a lot of goals, missed even more, and burnt a lot of brain energy in the process.
The good news is that I’ve learned some useful principles along the way.
There are a few key components that significantly increase one’s odds of achieving a goal. Here’s my simple, step-by-step approach:
1. Start with Why
Once you’ve named your goal, write out a few sentences to explain why this is your goal. The purpose is two-fold:
To clarify your own thinking
To remind you down the road, when things get tough or other interests compete, the reason you’re doing what you’re doing
2. Break It Down Into Pieces YOU CAN CONTROL
A lot of the time, we set big, high-level goals that aren’t actually within our control - or at least aren’t clear enough to help guide our actions toward achieving the goal.
The best way I know to make progress on a big goal is to break it down to smaller, more manageable pieces that are completely within your control. Ideally, these occur on a daily basis to really form a habit.
Let’s work with the example of someone who wants to lose 30 lbs.
Your initial goal very well may be to lose 30 lbs. But rather than say that and then immediately be confronted with the question of “What do I do now?”, a better example could be “Eat 1,500 calories per day.”
That’s clear, measurable, and within your control.
From there, I might add another layer to achieve the daily calorie goal: “Track every meal in a calorie counting app.” Between the two of those, you know exactly what to do to achieve your goal, and external factors are largely irrelevant.
Simple habit trackers, like this one that I built, can be very helpful in keeping yourself accountable.
3. Get an Accountability Partner
This is probably the most important step, and the least appreciated.
Self-accountability is very difficult. Getting accountability from others is very easy.
If you have a clear goal, it’s easy for someone to check-in weekly, for example, to see if you’ve achieved it and hold you accountable.
This small act makes a BIG difference in your odds of achieving a goal.1
4. Amp up the Incentives
Steps 1-3 may be enough, but if it’s a big goal, or one you’ve really struggled with, you may need some additional motivation to get the job done.
This can vary by person, but I like the simplicity of financial incentives.
For example, if I really care about hitting a goal, I’ll stake a financial incentive on achieving it. In our example, it could be something like, “If I don’t eat 1,500 calories on average per week for the next 4 weeks, I’ll pay you $1,000.”
I know that sounds extreme. It kind of is. But it’s really effective, so it’s a tool to remember if you really want to make some progress fast.
This isn’t something you want to do forever, but it can be effective in getting you off the ground and forming an early habit. Then, hopefully, your momentum can carry you from there.
5. Never Miss Two Days In A Row
Lastly, if your goal involves a daily habit, never miss two days in a row. One is ok - life happens. But never miss two days.
That’s it! If you stick to this approach, I guarantee you will see a meaningful improvement in your goal achievement percentage.
Do you have any approaches that consistently help you achieve goals? Let me know in the comments!
And if you find yourself stuck or in need of an accountability partner, reach out!