Because goal setting is an art and not a science, there are no hard-and-fast rules for setting goals. Because goals are set for different reasons to achieve different outcomes, there are no studies which have determined the exact benefits of goal setting. However, the myriad purveyors of motivation who recommend goal setting for sports, fitness, business, academics and life frequently agree on the overall benefits of goal setting.
Faster Completion
Knowing your end goal allows you to plan steps to get there. This increased coordination of efforts results in faster completion times of goal attainment. Planning strategies to achieve a goal that includes chronological steps also decreases confusion. This is done through performance goals, in addition to outcome goals. For example, if a tennis player sets an outcome goal of breaking her opponent's serve more often in matches, trying to achieve this goal with no plan will be frustrating. Setting performance goals, such as hitting returns deeper into the court, or learning to hit more wide serves back down the line instead of simply crosscourt, will give the player specific areas on which to work, decreasing the amount of time it would take her to reach her goal than if she had just "willed" or "wished" her way to her outcome goal. In the workplace, outcome and performance goals lead to better time management.
Increased Motivation
By providing objective measurements and feedback to track progress, goals provide yardsticks of success and failure. Just as a salesperson who is ahead of his monthly dollar goals can measure if he is pacing himself correctly or not, so will a salesperson who is not meeting his revenue goals be motivated to work harder, or discover why he is not meeting his goals. Human nature also dictates that success in achieving a goal creates a sense of satisfaction and pride, while failure creates dissatisfaction and embarrassment, all of which are performance motivators.
Reduced Stress
Working without a goal, or without a plan to achieve a goal, can be likened to having to drive from New York City to Los Angeles in 72 hours without being able to use a map along the way. While you could follow the sun, use a compass to generally travel west and ask strangers for directions, you will be continually concerned about whether or not you are traveling in the correct direction or headed the wrong way. Even if you eventually arrive in Los Angeles, you may be so stressed, you will not enjoy the achievement and not wish to perform a task like this again. Being given a work deadline, setting a weight-loss goal or attempting to achieve an improvement in sports performance with no ultimate goal or plan to obtain the goal can create self-doubt, resignation, panic or other performance-degrading emotions.
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