Goal Setting Worksheet

Do you have a big goal you're not making significant progress towards? If so, you need a Goal Setting Worksheet. But don't worry, you can build one yourself right now, simply by opening up your word processor and create a box for each of the following segments.

#1: Clearly identify the goal in measurable terms and write it down.
Too many goals are unrealistic or too foggy. For example, "I'm going to have a relaxing holiday this year for a change!" is a weakly stated goal. Contrast that with "I am going to rent a beach house for one solid week in a very quiet out of the way community, leave my cell phone off and read at least one novel." The second option is the one that is clear and measurable, a much better goal statement, with a much higher likelihood of success.

#2: What is your reason for wanting to reach this goal?

While there may be many reasons you could list, pin down the two or three that stir you up and make you want to get it done! When you have all the reasons identified you will have an important ongoing motivation tool for the duration of your pursuit of the goal.

#3: Identify the barriers that make it difficult to reach this target.

If there were no barriers, you'd be there already! So, why aren't you? Maybe you are flabby and out of shape because your job has long commute and you sit on your butt all day. Maybe you travel a lot and have never figured out a way to eat right in restaurants. Maybe you have a huge debt that makes it hard to save. Make a comprehensive list of all the issues.

Step 4: What is the primary constraint, the one barrier which if I removed it would immediately move me toward my goal?

Narrow it down to just one, and decide that you will overcome it first.

V. What will I need to trade, in time or money or anything else, to reach this target?

Any substantial goal requires sacrifice. The more significant the goal, likely the more substantial the sacrifice. This is a reality check: Are you prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to reach your goal?

Step 6: What information or skills do I need if I am to achieve this goal?

Much like the hurdles discussed earlier, there are knowledge and competence issues we need to face as we move toward our goals. The more significant a goal is, the more we need to change to get there.

VII. Is there someone to enlist to help you along the way?

This is a very important question, and your answer is also very important. An unachieved goal usually means we lack the self discipline to get there alone. So we need to lean on the discipline and accountability of another person. In some cases they might be partners who are moving toward a similar goal; in other cases they are mentors who are leading us and coaching us to go where they have already gone. Either way, this person is often the difference between success and failure in goal setting.

#8: List everything that needs to happen to hit the mark.

See this is a brainstorming exercise. Begin writing without being concerned about any logical order. And rather than being overwhelmed by the number of little steps along the way, get excited by how doable most of these steps really are!

#9: Boil the long list down to the three obvious items.

For example, you might narrow down your savings goal to spending less eating out, working overtime once per week and setting up an auto transfer from your bank account into savings.

#10: What are the regular habits and routines I need to establish to get this done?

Whatever you do, do not skip this step. Goals are achieved due to the habits we start or the habits we stop. Think about that for a second. Your life = your habits. Where we end up is simply the logical result of our habits.

Step 11: How committed am I to reaching this goal?

Now that you've thought it through quite thoroughly, how passionate are you about going there? You can describe it with words or simply rate yourself out of ten. If you are not significantly committed to reaching a goal, consider dropping it and developing one that fires you up, rather than feeling guilty for an extended period of time before quitting.

#12: Do something now to get the ball rolling.

This is very important. If you come to the end of this exercise and you are not prepared to take immediate action, well, the odds of you achieving the goal have just dropped dramatically. If however you will do one little thing right now, you're on the road and it will happen!

You can use these steps to make your own goal setting worksheet on your computer.