Reasons To Postpone Goal-Setting

Minimum targeting works well for establishing long-term habits.

A goal of, for instance, doing fifty push-ups every day might not be ideal for fitness, but doing something is better than doing nothing.

Another reason to focus on the minimum is that it assumes the difficulty is in starting. To start a process can often be the hardest. Then you want to set a lower threshold to make starting as easy as possible.

Focusing on the average makes sense when you're hoping to sustain something, even if it is not always a perfectly easy and consistent output.

It works when you are already putting in a bit of effort, but want to improve that effort over the long-term.

... for choosing personal goals. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Ask yourself which aspect of your life you would like to change most.
2. Think about why you want to change this.
3. How will that change make you feel? Determine what exactly will make you feel this way.
4. Ask yourself how you can make this happen and then make it your personal goal.

• Draw a chart. Write down each of the various areas of your life (family, health, self-development, career, relationships) in a new column or line.
• Assess your current happiness level in each of these categories by giving it a score from 1 to 10.
• Think what will make you be fully satisfied with these areas. Write down your ideas – you will be able to transform them into personal plans.

1. Stick to short commitments. Get good at this skill before going further.
2. Understand your goal at different levels. The highest goal should be fairly abstract.
3. Set a much more specific agenda of how I could fulfill this.
4. Have periodic reviews where you can change your direction and incorporate new ideas. 
5. Don't let your reviews interfere with the short-term process of committing.

1. A goal level, which is big-picture and abstract. It has just enough detail to inspire, but not so much that you're stuck pursuing things that don’t matter when conditions change. 
2. Underneath that, have projects: these tend to be short-to-medium term efforts you think will help realize the larger goal.

The flexibility of the system comes once one leg of a short-term commitment has ended. This provides an opportunity for pivoting and redirecting.

1. Clarity: clear goals help with understanding the task at hand.
2. Challenge: the goal should be challenging enough to prove motivating, but not impossible to achieve. 
3. Commitment: involve your team in the goal-setting process.
4. Feedback: measure your progress and seek advice.
5. Task complexity: be careful in adding too much complexity to your goals as it can impact morale, productivity, and motivation.

• Objectives – This is what you hope to accomplish. Objectives usually take the form of broad goals that are not measurable (that’s what the Key Results section is for).
• Key Results – Based on objectives, the key results are almost always defined with a specific number.

• Evaluate and reflect. Regularly write down where you are right now, and if you are happy with your current level of satisfaction.
• Define your dreams and goals. What do you want? Schedule some quiet “dream time” and think about what really thrills you. Then prioritise those dreams.
• Make your goals S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-sensitive)
• Have accountability. Find someone to hold you accountable to your goals.

People who have high self-control aren’t missing out on enjoyment. Not being able to resist temptation and enjoying life are not the same things.

They tend to eat in a healthily way, exercise more, sleep better, drink less alcohol, smoke fewer cigarettes, achieve higher grades at university, have more peaceful relationships, and are more financially secure.

Research showed that self-control is ultimately limited by our biology. We can’t exercise effortful self-control indefinitely – the brain has to do regular maintenance to remain functional.

Chances are you won't just wake up one day and suddenly change your life. To go where you want to go, you have to chart out a plan.

For example: If you feel the cue of smoking, replace the smoking with some other activity like having a cup of coffee.

1. Start with projects that should be easy to commit to. Don’t start with projects of 3-6 months if you don’t have a strong track-record of one-month successes behind you. 
2. Start becoming more sensitive about what you commit to. Be cautious about overcommitting.
3. If you need future flexibility, bake it into your initial commitment, don’t try to wiggle it in later.
4. Raise the bar on what counts as a valid excuse. View commitment as a long-term skill-building project.