How to Create Process Goals (+ 5 Tips for Goal Achievement)
We all have dreams, desires and goals. It goes without saying that reaching our goals requires some focus. It only makes sense that having a written objective increases the likelihood of success! Effective goals have several characteristics that help to assure a positive outcome. Have you lined out your goal in a way that ensures your success? Do you feel you have adequately prioritized the goal?
Perhaps you can find greater success by changing your approach to goal setting. Here I have written some ideas and tips to help you set process goals — and how to use them.
How to Set Process Goals
Focus on behavior. You’re probably familiar with outcome goals that describe results, like managing your blood pressure. However, it can be difficult to make progress unless you also set process goals for the related steps, like cutting back on salt and exercising regularly.
Learn from experience. Your past victories give you a foundation to build on. Identify your strengths and the tactics that work for you.
Clarify your expectations. Analyzing your goals gives you an opportunity to consider whether they’ll really provide the benefits you’re hoping for. For example, if you’re trying to build your self-esteem, you may decide to cancel plastic surgery and go back to school instead.
Be specific. Precise goals are easier to visualize, giving you more motivation and a clearer sense of direction. Identify your top priorities and express your thoughts in the simplest language possible.
Face reality. Ask yourself if you’re capable of achieving your goals. For example, you may discover that you need to earn an additional certification before you can apply for a more senior position.
Think positive. Use your goals to describe things you want in your life rather than things you’re trying to avoid. It’s more fun and effective.
How to Set Your Process Goals Into Action:
Break things down. If your final goal is a long way off, you may need to create shorter term objectives to strive for. Each victory will reinforce your commitment, especially if you find satisfying ways to reward yourself for your efforts.
Combine your goals. Process goals supplement your outcome goals rather than replace them. When you put them together, you can see the big picture and pay attention to the details.
Evaluate your progress. Measurable goals enable you to assess how you’re coming along. You might keep a journal or use a checklist to mark off the tasks that you’ve completed.
Change your environment. Your surroundings play a major role in your ability to reach your goals. It will be easier to enjoy higher quality sleep if you replace your sagging mattress and move your TV out of your bedroom.
Recover from relapses. What if you temporarily abandoned your goals, but you’re determined to bounce back? Let go of guilt and give yourself credit for making a fresh start. Work on making changes that will help you stay on track.
Overcome obstacles. What if you’re falling behind? Planning for contingencies will help you deal with unexpected events that come between you and your goals. For example, you could keep running each day by switching to an indoor track if your local park is buried in snow.
Seek support. Social support is another key ingredient for success. Let your family and friends know how they can help you.
Process goals help you to focus on the things you can control and give you a concrete plan. Create the life you want by setting meaningful goals and taking the necessary actions to reach them. See my post on how to turn your dreams and goals into reality.
5 Tips to Help You Achieve Your Goals
By incorporating a few strategic ideas into your next goal setting session, you can greatly increase your odds of success.
Try these strategies to help make your goal a reality:
1. Choose the best goal for you. Consider all possibilities before you select the topic of your goal.
* A simple, but effective exercise is to list 5–10 possible goals that you believe would improve your life. Then ask yourself, “Which of these goals would benefit my life the most right now?”
* A more meaningful goal has a better chance of being achieved.
2. A goal statement must have a deadline. Without a deadline, your goal will lack any sense of time urgency.
* A recommended way of formatting your goal is: “On or before 06/01/xx, I will have completed specific actions #1 and #2 to sufficiently lose at least 15 lbs.” This statement provides a clear endpoint, but still allows for the goal to be accomplished sooner.
* It is generally more effective to limit the time frame to 12 weeks or less. If a goal will require a greater period of time, break the goal down into smaller, multiple goals.
It is not uncommon for our goals to change over time, or to even forget what our goals have been if we haven’t worked with them in a very long time. If this is true in your case, you will greatly enjoy this seminar from Michael Beckwith, Living In A Visioning State In Your 40s, 50s & Beyond.
3. Leave the results open ended when appropriate. Just as you allowed the goal to be accomplished sooner than the specified date in the above example, where appropriate, also allow your results to surpass your goal.
* Notice the portion of the goal above: “lose at least 15 lbs.” Wording the goal statement in this fashion allows for greater results, assuming that is appropriate for you. Avoid limiting your results if it’s unnecessary to do so.
* Here are some examples of goals that can usually be left open ended:
i) Money-based goals: Would anyone ever want to limit themselves here?
ii) Weight-loss goals: Depending on the amount of weight that needs to be lost, losing a couple more pounds would usually be received as good news.
4. Include your responsibilities. Always include specific actions in your goal statement.
* Engineers frequently state that something is “necessary, but not sufficient.” For example, an egg is necessary to bake a cake but it’s not sufficient; other ingredients are also required. By including specific actions in your statement, you’re claiming responsibility for doing everything that needs to be done to accomplish the goal.
5. Prioritize your goal. Your brain is inundated with countless things every day. It needs to know that this goal is more important than all the other tasks it faces each day.
* One way to accomplish this is by utilizing repetition. After first setting your goal, write it down 25 times. Now notice how you feel about the goal. If you feel anything less than motivated and excited, there is some question in your mind about it; try to figure out what’s holding back your enthusiasm so you can move forward with confidence.
* Strong, positive emotions can also be used as a prioritization tool. Imagine what it would feel like to achieve your goal. Imagine the ideal scene. What would you see, smell, think, and feel? The better the vision, the better the odds of success.
* Every day, write your goal one time and perform the visualization process several times. This will reinforce the priority of your goal.
Consider these ideas the next time you set a goal. By using these 5 tips, your odds of success will increase greatly. While there are multiple ways to set goals, the process above has been proven to be highly effective time and time again. Try it on your next goal; you’re sure to be pleasantly surprised.
Originally published at https://mindfulmysticmama.com on April 3, 2021.
