We all have goals, desires, and dreams for our ideal lives. How do you feel about your progress toward achieving what you want? Have you encountered any unexpected challenges or feel like something is holding you back? If you have, you are not alone. This is normal and part of the process for everyone.
Sticking to your plans can be challenging, but there are strategies you can use to help you stay on track. One such strategy is to focus on small goals. This can be a more effective way to achieve success than concentrating solely on more long-term ambitious goals.
While big picture aspirations are essential for setting a direction and a purpose, smaller goals provide more tangible building blocks along the way. Breaking down larger goals into smaller ones helps maintain motivation and boost self-confidence. This is because it helps you to see real progress sooner, leading to a greater likelihood of achieving the bigger goals.
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Why Should You Set Goals
Setting goals is fundamental to your professional and personal life, allowing you to clarify your aspirations and work towards achieving them. They provide direction, focus, and purpose, helping you prioritize your time and resources. Whether pursuing a new career, developing a skill, or achieving a personal milestone, setting clear and measurable goals is key to success.
You can track your progress, identify obstacles, and adjust your strategies through goal setting. The goal setting process can lead to increased confidence, mental resilience, and a greater sense of fulfillment in life. Therefore, setting goals is essential to help you achieve what you want in life and reach your full potential.
What A Goal Is
A goal is a desired outcome or end result that you work towards. SMART goals are the specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound targets you set for yourself to improve your life or achieve something you want. A goal can be a short-term or long-term goal and can relate to any area of your life, such as career, health, relationships, or personal growth.
What A Goal Is Not
Something that is not a goal is a general desire or intention without specific and measurable outcomes. For example, saying “I want to lose weight” is not a goal because it is vague and not detailed enough to be measured or achieved.
A goal needs to be specific, measurable, and have a due date. “I want to lose 10 pounds in the next two months” is a clear and measurable goal with a defined end result and a timeline.
An even better goal is, “I want to improve my communication skills by attending a public speaking course and practicing in front of a group every week” because it is a specific and measurable goal that states how you plan to achieve the desired outcome.
Small vs. Large Goals
One study shows people who failed to achieve high and specific goals demonstrate decreased self-esteem, motivation, and emotions, compared to those who achieved the goal.
But what if we increase the ability to achieve the desired results by breaking the massive goal into smaller short-term actions that are easier to achieve? The large goal is still eventually attained, but the approach is different. The main difference between small and large goals lies in their scope, complexity, and time frame.
Small Goals
- Scope: Small goals are specific, targeted objectives that are relatively simple and straightforward to achieve.
- Timeframe: They can often be accomplished in the short term, typically within days, weeks, or a few months.
- Complexity: Small goals are less complex and require less effort and resources than larger goals.
- Measurability: These goals are usually easily measurable and have clear criteria for success.
Examples
- Complete a specific chapter of a book within a week.
- Send five follow-up emails to potential clients within the next two days.
- Organize and declutter the kitchen pantry by the end of the weekend.
- Walk 10,000 steps daily for the next two weeks to improve your fitness.
- Create a detailed outline for an upcoming presentation by the end of the day.
Large Goals
- Scope: Large goals are more significant and encompass broader, long-term ambitions that may involve multiple objectives.
- Timeframe: They can often be accomplished in the long term, often spanning months, years, or even decades.
- Complexity: Large goals are more complex and may involve careful planning, effort, and coordination of resources.
- Measurability: While large goals are measurable, they might involve several key results and milestones to track progress.
Examples
- Establish a successful non-profit organization focused on environmental conservation within the next decade.
- Achieve a leadership position in my company within the next five years.
- Pay off all my student loans and credit card debt within the next seven years.
- Build a passive income stream through real estate investments for retirement in 15 years.
- Become fluent in a new language and be able to have conversations with native speakers within the next five years.
Both small and large goals are necessary for personal growth. The small ones are the building blocks and smaller steps required to achieve the larger objective. Furthermore, you may need to accomplish multiple small goals first to reach the larger final goal.
Why You Should Focus On Small Goals
Achieving small goals works by breaking down a large goal into smaller, actionable steps that can be accomplished in a shorter period of time. By focusing on these smaller tasks, you can make progress toward the larger goal in a step-by-step process. Here are the benefits:
- Provides Quick Wins: They are often easier to achieve than larger ones. Achieving those “quick wins” provides a sense of accomplishment and increases motivation, which helps to build momentum toward achieving larger goals.
- Smaller Scope: Due to the smaller scope, small goals are often more specific and concrete than larger goals. By breaking down the ultimate goal into more manageable small tasks, then it becomes easier to create an action plan that outlines the specific actions needed to achieve the desired outcome.
- More Achievable: They are more achievable goals because they require less time, effort, and resources to complete. This makes fitting them into a busy schedule easier, lessens the potential challenges that can derail you, and reduces the risk of burnout or overwhelm.
- Builds Momentum: Big-picture goals often lie beyond your comfort zone. On the other hand, small goals enable you to take gradual steps toward overcoming fears and embracing new challenges. Each tiny achievement builds momentum and empowers you to go further, opening doors to exciting possibilities.
- Builds Positive Habits: Achieving small goals can help create positive habits and routines supporting progress towards larger ones. For example, setting a goal for a ten-minute meditation daily helps establish a regular habit that can eventually lead to longer and deeper meditation sessions.
- Easier to Measure: They are easier to measure than larger ones, making tracking progress toward the finish line easier. This also helps to confirm you are going in the right direction or identify areas where you may need to adjust your approach and make changes to stay on track.
- Less Overwhelming: Big aspirations can be overwhelming, and it can be challenging to know where to start. Therefore, breaking down a big goal into smaller, more manageable tasks can make it feel less daunting and more achievable.
- Enhanced Focus: Incorporating small goals enhances focus and time management. Also, establishing due dates for these mini goals ensures accountability and prevents procrastination.
Small Goals vs. Micro Goals
A small goal can be further broken down into micro or tiny goals. They are all both short term and smaller in scope compared to bigger aims and massive goals. However, micro goals are even smaller, immediate, and more specific than small goals. They are easily attainable and generally focus on a single step that can be accomplished within minutes to hours.
- Definition: Micro goals are extremely small and specific targets, often breaking down a larger goal into its smallest achievable steps.
- Focus: They are designed to be easily attainable and focus on making incremental progress toward a bigger objective.
- Timeframe: They are typically short-term and can be achieved within a few hours, days, or weeks.
- Complexity: They are straightforward and manageable tasks that contribute to the accomplishment of larger plans.
Examples
- Write the introduction paragraph of an essay.
- Complete one math problem in a practice exercise.
- Make a five-minute phone call to set up a meeting.
- Meditate for two minutes in the morning to start a mindfulness practice.
- Research and note down one reference source for a research paper.
Putting It All Together
Here are some examples of setting large, small and. micro goals.
Financial Goals
Buying a house is a significant goal that requires substantial planning, saving, and financial preparation. Therefore, achieving this large financial goal involves creating actionable goals, such as a specific savings target and the actions you will take to save the money. Here is an example of the different ways you could set goals to achieve this goal.
Large: Save $20,000 for a down payment on a house within the next five years.
Small: Save $1500 within the next six months by setting up a $250 auto deduction directly into savings.
Micro: Pack lunch instead of spending money at a restaurant three times this week.
Fitness Goals
A marathon is a big-picture goal that requires comprehensive training and preparation over a more extended period. As a result, you may need to engage in a structured training program, gradually increasing your endurance and duration of your runs. Here is an example of some good goals you could set to achieve this goal.
Large: Complete a 5K by the end of the year.
Small: Run for 10 minutes without stopping in three months.
Micro: Run an extra quarter mile today.
Personal Goals
Learning a new language is a large goal that requires consistent and dedicated language learning efforts. For best results, attending classes, practicing with native speakers, and using language-learning apps should be considered in your plan. Here is an example of the different goals you could set.
Large: Achieve fluency in French within two years.
Small: Learn the basics of French greetings and phrases within one month.
Micro: Memorize one new French vocabulary word daily.
Professional Goals
This large professional life goal involves advancing within the company’s hierarchy and securing a senior management role. Achieving this goal may then require enhancing leadership skills, gaining more experience, and consistently delivering exceptional results. Here is an example of the different goals you could set.
Large: Obtain a senior management position within the company within the next five years.
Small: Attend one leadership workshop or training to enhance skills and knowledge in the next three months.
Micro: Sign up for a professional development course online.
Goal Setting Tools & Resources
Have you considered seeking additional resources or support to help you achieve your goals? Many products, tools, and technology are available to help you set and track goals. Here are some options:
Planner or Journal: A planner or journal can be valuable for setting, tracking, and sticking to your goals. Look for a planner or journal with goal setting, progress tracking, and reflection sections, such as this research-backed habit journal.
Goal-Setting Apps: There are several goal-setting apps available that can help you set and track your goals. Some popular options such as Asana, Habitica, and Strides all have free versions too.
Vision Board: A vision board is a physical or digital collage of images and words representing your goals and aspirations. Therefore, creating a vision board can be a great way to visualize your desired outcomes and stay motivated.
Accountability Partner or Coach: Having an accountability partner or coach can be a powerful tool for staying on track with your goals. So, look for someone who can provide support, feedback, and encouragement as you work towards your goals.
Mind Mapping Software: Mind mapping software, such as MindMeister or XMind, can be a helpful tool for brainstorming and organizing your goals and action steps.
Self-Help Books: Many self-help books are available that provide guidance and strategies for setting and achieving goals. Look for books that are well-reviewed and written by reputable authors.
Subliminal Messages: Subliminal messages are experienced below the level of conscious awareness. They are commonly used in self-help programs and personal development tools. They are another tool that can potentially help you reach your goals. Check out Goal Power to help you with goal setting.
Ultimately, the best product for goal setting is the one that works best for you and your specific needs. Consider what you are trying to achieve, your preferred method of organization and tracking, and your budget when selecting a product to help you set goals.
Summary: Small Goals Lead To Big Success
Working towards something important to you takes a lot of effort and dedication, but you have what it takes to succeed. Remember that every step you take, no matter how small, brings you closer to what you want. Setting and achieving both short term and long term goals are needed, leading to a more fulfilling and satisfying life.
However, by focusing on achieving small ones, you create a sense of accomplishment, allowing you to celebrate small victories, which helps to build momentum and motivation towards the larger goal. You also gain confidence and a better understanding of what works and what doesn’t, which can help you adjust your approach and improve your chances of success. Keep pushing forward and believe in yourself because you can achieve anything you want.
