Goal setting that sticks

Big goals like 'get a first' or 'get fit' feel exciting in September and forgotten by November. Research points to a few simple tools that make goals far more likely to turn into action.

From wish to clear goal

• Turn a vague wish ('do better this year') into something specific and measurable ('submit every assignment at least two days early this term').
• Many university learning centres, including UNC's, recommend SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
• Separate outcome goals (a grade, a race time) from process goals (the daily or weekly actions that lead there); you control the process far more than the outcome.
• Limit yourself to two or three important goals at a time; ten goals usually means none get proper attention.

If-then plans (implementation intentions)

• Psychologist Peter Gollwitzer's 'implementation intentions' are if-then plans that link a specific situation to a specific action: 'If situation Y happens, then I will do Z.'
• A meta-analysis of 94 studies by Gollwitzer and Sheeran (2006), summarised by the US National Cancer Institute, found a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals (d = 0.65).
• The effect was similar for getting started and for staying on track when distractions or setbacks appeared.
• Examples: 'If it is 4 pm on a weekday, then I go to the library for one hour.' 'If a friend invites me out the night before a deadline, then I suggest the weekend instead.'

WOOP: dream, then plan for obstacles

• WOOP was developed by Gabriele Oettingen, a psychology professor at New York University and the University of Hamburg, from her research on 'mental contrasting'.
• Wish: name one important goal. Outcome: picture the best result and how it would feel.
• Obstacle: name the main obstacle or challenge that is likely to get in the way, such as tiredness, phone use or fear of starting.
• Plan: decide what you will do when that obstacle appears, ideally as an if-then plan.
• WOOP only takes a few minutes and works well on a Sunday evening for the week ahead.

Using fresh starts

• Researchers Dai, Milkman and Riis found that Google searches for 'diet', gym visits and goal commitments all increase after 'temporal landmarks' such as the start of a week, month, year or semester, a birthday or a holiday.
• They suggest these landmarks help people put past imperfections behind them and look at the bigger picture.
• Use this deliberately: launch a new goal on the first day of term, the first of the month or a Monday.
• But do not wait weeks for a landmark; any day can be a fresh start if you decide it is.

Weekly review

• Once a week, spend 15 minutes asking: what went well, what got in the way, and what will I change next week?
• Track process goals with a simple tick list; seeing a streak builds a sense of competence.
• If a goal keeps failing, make it smaller or more specific rather than simply trying harder.
• Celebrate progress, not only results; finishing four out of five planned study sessions is a good week.