I think we can all agree that whenever we enter a new year, we look to evaluate and set new goals for ourselves. I for one always set myself new goals every year. Previously I have failed to stick to these goals and didn't really see the value in setting them. Goal setting can be a key psychological skill that, when utilised correctly, can produce amazing benefits. We are going to explore why we should goal set and how to do it effectively.
Why even bother goal setting?
Countless studies have shown that setting clear, specific, realistic, and timely goals which come within your own control increases commitment, motivation, confidence, and concentration as well as reducing negative anxiety and enhancing performance. Goal setting can help you to focus on the processes over the outcome, maintain your motivation, give you confidence that you have prepared the best you can and decrease the need for comparisons with others. It supports turning your intentions into actions and is a key component of setting the tone, structure, and direction of everything you work on. In simpler terms, it is you deciding what you want to achieve and working backward to create a clear plan to make sure you achieve that target, which in turn boosts your motivation due to you giving direct attention and energy to achieving this overall goal.
Goal setting enables you to consider every component required to achieve success. This will probably include planning your physical training, understanding the logistics, practicing psychological skills and strategies, strength and conditioning, and nutrition. It allows you to understand and become aware of the skills, achievements, and improvements required to be successful and provides you with a continual confidence boost. For goal setting to be effective, there are a variety of well-researched structures you can follow and a whole host of frameworks you can utilise to maximise the impact and chances of success.
One of the key actions is being strict about only having one outcome goal. Having several goals can increase the risk of you achieving none of them as your focus becomes split and sometimes achieving all your goals isn't possible.
Goal setting is also really effective for injured athletes, being a key tool in their recovery process. Research has found that injured athletes who use goal setting adhere to their rehabilitation better and ultimately return to sports more quicker. It can make them feel like they are doing something productive to get them back to full fitness and will help highlight useful tasks or actions to replace the time they would typically be training. The big difference here is the outcome is related to recovery instead of performance.
How to set goals effectively!
1- Setting outcome goals
An outcome goal needs to be:
Stretching: enough to make them focus and work hard
Realistic: so, they don’t feel out of there depth
Exciting: something they really want to personally achieve
Controllable: achievable without the need for other people
Positive: we are more likely to stick to goals if they are things we can proactively do rather than avoid
I want to stress that outcome goals don’t always need to be a result, score, or gaining a place in an academy for example. There are several other intrinsic goals that can inspire you such as environment goals (to compete in new places), fulfillment goals (using your sport as a way of helping others), and development goals (focussing on long-term skill mastery). Once this has been established then everything else can flow.
2- Performance goals
These provide a staging post so you can see whether you are on track toward your outcome goal. These are often specific skills, scores, or other measurable metrics you will need to be hitting if you are to achieve your outcome goal. These will be a mixture of short and medium-term elements which helps you stay motivated. The key to making this part successful is keeping the goals specific and measurable so you are unable to wriggle out of them and make excuses! They also need to be positive, setting out what you need to accomplish rather than what should be avoided.
3- Process goals
These provide the building blocks of the pyramid. They sit below performance goals and are the behaviors, actions, strategies, and tactics that you will need if you are to achieve each performance goal. These are the actions you should be able to control (with the right support and work ethic) and can be incorporated into your training and preparation. Following process goals should facilitate regular progression and allow momentum to build up as they gradually get ticked off.
4- SMARTER Goals
Once you have your goals, you can maximise their effectiveness by making sure they fit the SMARTER guidelines:
Specific: purposeful direction and target
Meaningful: keep you focussed and motivated when training gets tough, or you hit a slump
Accountable: Having people know your goals will help them stick to them
Recorded: Written down and visible
Timed: setting a deadline focuses the mind and prevents drifting
Evaluate: This can give you a boost if you are doing well or provides an opportunity to make changes if setbacks arise
Realistic: They only work if they are not too much of a stretch, so time spent checking the processes suggested can fit into the time you have available will prevent upset later on
Goal setting can be a really effective tool if utilised correctly. If you follow the framework above you will be setting goals and working towards them in no time! I have created a free goal-setting worksheet which can be accessed by signing up on my website.
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