GUIDE TO SETTING GOALS

Transcription

1 GUIDE TO SETTING GOALS What is a Goal? A goal is like a blueprint that orients us toward an outcome we desire. The formulation of goals is critical to successful lifestyle change. Are Some Goals Better than Others? Research suggests that goals are most likely to facilitate success when they are: 1. Realistic (that is, achievable rather than reflecting an unattainable standard that cannot be reached). Because unrealistic goals (such as that you will never deviate from your activity plan or that you will lose an impossible amount of weight) are doomed to fail, they set us up for disappointment and discouragement that collectively derail our progress. 2. Specific (that is, make clear exactly what is to be accomplished). For instance, rather than setting a vague goal of adding activity (which raises more questions than it answers such as: how much? what kind? when? where?), more helpful goals would be something like walking 30 minutes every day in the park at lunchtime with my co-worker or playing 30 minutes of basketball with my son every Saturday using the hoop in the backyard. Specific goals make clear exactly how to achieve them, thereby making it easy to know if and when you hit (or miss) the mark. Moreover, if you fail to attain a specific goal, you know exactly how far you fell from the mark and what you need to do to get back on track. 3. Intermediate as well as long-term. Focusing on the ultimate endpoint alone (such as, a certain number of pounds lost), without specifying the intermediate steps for reaching that long-term outcome is not particularly helpful. Especially when the ultimate goal is complex and delayed in time (as in the case of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight), it helps to specify the intervening steps (that is, the specific healthy choices) that will take you to your ultimate goal. For example, if you have ever tried to learn a complex skill (such as, a complicated dance), you know it is not helpful to simply watch someone perfectly execute the final product. However, if your dance instructor starts by teaching you the first step and then gradually adds each consecutive step (perhaps by putting a set of footprints on the floor as a guide), you are provided with a path during skill acquisition that leads directly to achievement of the ultimate goal. Moreover, these interim steps (or goals) provide immediate corrective or rewarding feedback that allows you to quickly get back on track (if you miss) or be reassured you are doing the right thing (if you step correctly). Intermediate and long-term goals work similarly for weight control by guiding your steps toward the ultimate objective you want to achieve. What s the bottom line? Setting goals that are realistic, specific, as well as both intermediate and long- term is critical to successful lifestyle change. Incremental, intermediate goals facilitate learning and provide the opportunity to experience many little successes along the way to your ultimate outcome. Try It! Commit to and set at least one intermediate goal to achieve for next week. Specify your plan for achieving the goal as well as how you plan to track your progress. Use the guidelines discussed above to be sure you set optimal goals.

2 I commit to achieving the following intermediate goal(s) for next week: My plan to be sure I reach this goal(s) is: Now that you have set a goal, made a commitment, and developed a plan for achieving it, track your progress to see how well you do. Depending on the goal you set, you can create your own tracking form using the sample below, as a start. Keep your tracking form with you so you are recording as close as possible to the time you actually engage in the target (or goal) behavior. If you wait until the end of the day to recall everything, it s too easy to miss something important or to forget to record altogether. Make it a habit to fill in your tracking form every time you engage in the target behavior. Add as many rows as necessary to capture everything.

3 Consider the following example of Mary, who has set a goal to walk her dog for 30 minutes each morning as a way of adding lifestyle activity to her day. In Mary s case, a 30 minute dog walk each day is her target or goal behavior. You see below the way Mary chose to track her performance over the week. Day/Time Target: Walk dog 30 minutes each morning Did I meet my goal today? What barriers interfered with goal achievment? How will I meet my goal tomorrow? Monday Walked dog 20 minutes NO Got up too late Be sure to set alarm clock earlier Tuesday Walked dog 30 minutes YES NONE Do what I did today: get up on time Wednesday Thursday Friday Walked dog 25 minutes NO Feet hurt, legs tired NONE NO Late for work, no time Walked dog 30 minutes YES NONE Change to more comfortable shoes for walking (put on dressier work shoes later) Get up when alarm rings, ask partner to wake me if I don t get up on time Don t stay out so late tonight that I can t get up tomorrow a.m. and, if I do walk later in the day Saturday Walked dog 30 minutes YES NONE Don t stay out too late Sunday Walked dog 30 minutes YES NONE Arise 8 a.m.

4 Now, using the intermediate goal you set for yourself this week, track your progress on the form below or on one you create to track your specific goal: Day/Time Target: Did I meet my goal today? What barriers interfered with goal achievment? How will I meet my goal tomorrow? Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

5 How did you do? What factors contributed to success meeting your goal this week? What barriers got in the way? Jot down some notes. Did you find your goal to be as realistic in practice as you anticipated when you first set it? Was your goal sufficiently specific that you were able to clearly determine whether you did or did not meet the goal? If not, you may need to refine it. How will you use what you learned to better navigate towardyour ultimate goal?