Setting goals is a great way to help improve your physical and mental health. Whether you are training for your first marathon, recovering from a serious injury, trying to manage the stressful job or improve the quality of your sleep, sustaining momentum towards achieving your goal is easier with a clear vision.
Goal setting is an important tool in our personal and professional lives. It helps to give our actions meaning and purpose. Not only is goal setting linked to success, but it is also connected to higher motivation, self esteem, self confidence and autonomy.[i]
In this article, we will look at goal setting frameworks, steps to achieving goals, and ways to stay motivated and follow through on goals to ensure success.
Table of Contents
- Goal Setting Framework
- Steps to Achieving Goals
- Ways to Stay Motivated
- Helping You Achieve Your Health Goals
Goal Setting Framework
Developing concrete goals is the first important step in goal achievement. In the early 1980s, the SMART system was developed to help guide goal setting. Using a goal framework will define the necessary steps needed to achieve your goals.
S – Specific – Be as specific as possible on what you want to accomplish. This statement should include the who where, why and how. Too often goals are vague and unclear. Goals should be well defined and intentional. An example of a health goal would be to run a 5km road race.
M – Measurable – Quantifying goals makes it easier to track your progress. This will also help to re-evaluate your goal. Determine what metrics you will use to determine whether you meet the goal. If it is a long-term goal, set milestones along the way. In this example we would define our goal by signing up for a specific race in May. We could use weekly or monthly goals to determine our progress. For example, running 4 times a week with the goal of running continuously for 2km by the end of February, 3km by March and so on.
A – Achievable – This will help to ensure you can reasonably achieve your goal within a certain timeframe. It is important to find a balance between goals that are not realistic and will cause frustration and disappointment and ones that don’t challenge you and lead to feelings of unsatisfaction. If you don’t enjoy running or are getting over an injury the goal of running a 5km may be difficult to achieve. If you are starting out running or it’s something you’ve always wanted to try then a 5km race is definitely achievable.
R- Relevant – Your goals should align with your values and long-term goals. It is important to reflect on why this goal is important to you and how it contributes to the bigger picture. In the example, running a race may be part of an overall goal of improving your health and fitness, trying something you have never done before or a step towards a larger goal of running a marathon.
T- Timely – A time bound goal is necessary to complete the necessary tasks to achieve your goals. Having an end date provides the motivation and prioritization needed to be successful in goals. In the example, signing up for a specific race gives you a great time frame so that you are able to plan the weeks and months leading up to achieving that goal.
Another goal that may be more difficult to break down may be ‘to handle stress better’. It is important to really examine what this might look like for you. Does managing stress mean exercising and meditating more? Or cutting down caffeine and alcohol consumption? Try picking one of these healthy behaviours and making SMART goals around it. For example, meditating more:
Specific – I will meditate 5 times a week
Measurable – I will do this on weekdays when I wake up for 10 minutes
Achievable – I will use on app on my phone and practice in my bedroom
Relevant – This is helping me work towards managing my stress
Timely – In three months I will re-evaluate my routine and see if this works for me. Maybe I will try a new app, do longer meditations or try a different type of meditation
Steps to Achieving Goals
A study from the Dominican University in California found these steps were critical in being successful in achieving your goals.[ii]
- Write them down and commit – The act of simply writing down your goals has been found linked to successfully achieving your goals
- Share with a friend – Enlist another person or friend who to share your goal with. This will help you be accountable.
- Regular updates – Provide weekly updates to this person on the status of your goal. This will help you be motivated to continually work on your goals.
Ways to Stay Motivated
Many of us are great at starting new things like routines, projects, practices. Fewer of us are great at sticking with them over the long haul. Like a kid who loses interest in a toy when another new shiny object comes along, people tend to lose interest when motivation is lacking. Here are a few ways to ensure that interest doesn’t wane when the going gets tough or the distractions arise.
- Get into a routine – Plan and set out a day and time each week to work towards your goal. Having set programs or booking activities in advance will help you stay motivated and feel obligated to do them.
- Prepare for obstacles – Plan ahead for any barrier you may face and how you will respond to them. There will be days when you will lack the time and motivation.
- Know what motivates you – Everyone has different reasons for working towards their goals. Know and reflect on your values and intentions for your goal and go back to this when feeling unmotivated or frustrated.
Helping You Achieve Your Health Goals
At Propel Physiotherapy, our therapists have experience and training in goal setting and motivational interventions. As part of your assessment and treatment plan, they will work with you to help you design and achieve your health goals.
Whether it’s running your first 5km or starting a walking program, our therapists can help you start and stick to your new health goals. A trained therapist can help you identify a health behaviour goal, provide education on health-related goals, help you work towards developing SMART based goals, and identify and problem solve any barriers that may impact achieving your health goal.
Contact us for a complimentary consultation today.
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