Why goal setting is hard

“You gotta have a goal. Do you have a goal?” – Kit de Luca, Pretty Woman

I am a huge fan of Inc Magazine. If you own your own business or are a manager this magazine is for you. They have great articles on business – but also give you lots of food for thought when it comes to productivity and “getting things done.”

As a subscriber, I get a weekly email with recent articles on their website. I rarely ever click on them; however, I was stopped in my tracks when I read the article link How Goal Setting Hurts Productivity.  So of course I had to read it… Here’s what I learned…

Long Term Goals vs. Short Term Goals. 

So often when we set a goal we think of it in the general sense or maybe long-term goals for the year… things like losing weight or exercising might be long-term. The key is to be more specific or speak in the immediate future. I am going to stop eating sugar for a week, I will walk 5 miles two times each week. So another word… BE SPECIFIC! If the goal is too general, it’s harder to achieve. You find wiggle room to let go of the goal.

Lack of focus can be a good thing.

Now, for those of you that struggle with staying focused… this one is for you. Too often, we freak out that we can’t focus. That doesn’t have to be a bad thing. What’s important to consider is when you set the goal… set the specific goal. Then, give yourself permission to not hyper-focus on that goal. Expand your horizons or as they say in the article “key is to set goals, and look around, smell the roses, and try not to focus on them.” That might mean communicating about those goals less with your team during actual execution processes and limiting visual or audible reminders about them