Limitations Of Goal Setting

Setting goals carefully can greatly increase your chances of achieving them. Nevertheless, you are likely to struggle with the same internal obstacles that most people struggle with, such as procrastination, low motivation and weak willpower. The remedy for these problems lies in taking these obstacles into account when you set your goals and making plans to overcome them.

Goal-Setting Process

Many goal-setting paradigms resemble the SMART goal-setting system developed by the research of Edwin A. Locke of the University of Maryland School of Business. Under the SMART system, goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-sensitive. Goals need to be specific and measurable so that you will know when you have achieved them and be thereby encouraged. They need to be attainable, because you will not be motivated by that which you know to be impossible. They need to be personally relevant to you because if they are not, you will find them meaningless and therefore poorly motivating. Finally, your goals need to have deadlines attached so that you can connect them with your daily, weekly and monthly schedules.

Motivation

If you goals do not motivate you, you are unlikely to perform well no matter how well you have stated them. Conversely, motivation to achieve an immediate reward can motivate you to persist even when you feel tired and depleted, according to psychology professor Timothy A. Pychyl in "Self-Regulation Failure (Part 3): What's Motivation Got to do With It?" appearing in the "Psychology Today" magazine. Although the prospect of immediate rewards are especially motivating, you can increase your motivation to work now to achieve long-term rewards by reminding yourself of the value that your goal holds for you. That is why it is critical that your goals be deeply meaningful to you in the first place, rather than an expression of someone else's expectations. It will also help to build short-term rewards into your goal-setting process.

Procrastination

Procrastination is a problem because when the execution of a goal becomes difficult, it feels better for the moment to simply relax or to engage in a more enjoyable activity. Because you are rewarded in the short term for procrastination, this behavior is reinforced and more likely to occur again, says Pychyl in "Giving in to Feel Good: Why Self-Regulation Fails" appearing in the "Psychology Today" magazine. This is why you should keep a journal detailing your goals and the benefits of achieving them. When you feel tempted to procrastinate, read through your journal to reconnect yourself with what is most important to you in the long term.

Willpower

Willpower is like a muscle, says Pychyl. Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist at Stanford University, agrees in article "The Limits of Self-Control" appearing in the "Psychology Today" magazine. She advises treating willpower like a scarce resource and rationing it accordingly. You may want to avoid setting two goals that are both difficult to achieve--quitting smoking and losing weight at the same time, for example. Instead, quit smoking first, and even allow yourself to gain weight for the first month. You can always lose the extra pounds--and then some--after you have conquered smoking.

Inflexiility

Inflexibility is a major limitation on goal-setting simply because life is unpredictable. You may set annual sales goals only to be laid off when a recession strikes, for example. It is important to build the unexpected into the goal-setting process by institutionalizing the process of reviewing and revising your goals in response to unforeseen circumstances. Avoid discouragement by reminding yourself that the unpredictability of life is an obstacle that everyone faces.