Goal Setting: Resources, Worksheets, and More

September 1, 2021
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Goals are the objects of a person’s ambition or effort; they are an aim or desired result. A goal is an idea of what we want our future to look like. Without goals, we will float through the ocean of life without a clear destination. You cannot achieve your goals if you do not have a plan. That is where a goal setting worksheet comes in.

Goals steer us in the direction we want to go. Goal setting worksheets are the roadmaps which tell us how we get there. They help motivate us to make the sacrifices required to reach our destination. They are simple, clear and motivational, giving us deadlines and reminding us of factors we can influence to achieve our goals. If a goal setting worksheet does not work for you, there are many other strategies and resources you can use to accomplish your goals. Take the time to learn about them, experiment and find what works for you.

Goal Setting: What the Science Says

Goal setting is choosing an objective or target you wish to accomplish. It is also a tool to get you to where you want to be and stop you from spinning in circles or making choices that take you farther away from your goal. Setting goals takes more careful consideration than it may appear at first glance. To accomplish things in life, you must make sacrifices. Let’s say you want to row a marathon. There is more to rowing a marathon than pulling 42,164.81 meters. You have to train. You have to cross train. You have to consume enough calories to fuel your workouts and stay hydrated. You have to calculate how many calories to consume during your row. You have to sacrifice Friday night at the bar because first thing Saturday morning you have a 100-minute row planned. 



Rudders and Oars

Goals are like the rudder of a boat. It steers you in the direction you want to go. If you commit to one goal, the rudder stays straight and true and you make it to your destination. You achieve your goal. If you have 10 goals, you end up switching among them and it is easy to start rowing in circles, not accomplishing anything or accomplishing a goal of much less significance than where you were initially headed. The oars of the boat are your process for achieving your goal. You can steer the boat wherever you want.

It takes intention and hard work to get where you want to. Once you use the rudder to set your course, the oars determine your progress. To summarize, goals are useful for setting your course. Making progress requires you to put systems in place, be they 12 weeks of meal plans or automatic deductions from your paycheck to your 401(k) or 403(b).

The Paper Clip Strategy

Many of us are visual learners. The paper clip strategy, famously used by Canadian salesman Trent Dyrsmid, is one tool we can use to understand goal setting and systems visually. Dyrsmid put 120 paper clips in a clear jar on his desk and each time he made a sales call, he would move one paper clip to a second clear jar on his desk. Visual cues are great as they remind you to start a behavior. They are also a great way to display your progress. If you want to drink a gallon of water per day, put 32 coins on your desk, and put one away for every four ounces of water you drank. If, when you go to bed, you still have several coins on your desk, you know you need to try harder tomorrow to accomplish your goal.

The Endowed Progress Effect is a theory which states we place more value on things we have. If you have started working toward your goal, you are more motivated to continue working on it. When you see 20 paperclips in the completed jar, you want to add more. Success is addictive. Finally, you can use visual cues to track patterns in your success. Read on to learn more about this under the Seinfeld Strategy.

Measure Backwards, Not Forwards

It is important to set forward-looking goals. However, it is equally important to review the progress you made in the past day, week, month, or quarter. If you have a goal to row five hours one week, but you only rowed three, you only completed 60% of your goal. Try to remember why you fell short and make a note to yourself of what you can do to improve.

Looking backward also helps you to set upper bounds. If you successfully rowed for five hours last week, aim to row for 5.5 hours this week, or a 10% increase in time. This ensures you do not get burned out. Short-term feedback is the best way to change long-term behavior. it does not matter how many meters you rowed in 30 seconds seven years ago in college. See how far you rowed last week or last month when you tested yourself and try to improve from there. This keeps you motivated as you can see your progress from week to week rather than waiting 12 weeks to hit your final goal.

The Seinfeld Strategy

Many of us know comedian Jerry Seinfeld from the sitcom Seinfeld. He is one of the greatest comedians of all time, and his secret to success is consistency. He once advised an aspiring comedian the key to success was creating better jokes, and you accomplish that by writing every day. He advised this young man to get a wall calendar with the entire year on one page, and mark every day he wrote with a big, red X. It takes 21 days to form a habit, but visually seeing the chain of writing is very motivational.

You can apply this technique to any goal you have. If your goal is to not eat out, mark on the calendar each day you are successful. If you have a fitness goal, mark days you successfully trained, cross trained or rested. If you have a goal to gain one pound per week, mark on the calendar each day you consumed 500 calories above your maintenance. Just be sure the task you set is important enough to make a difference and simple enough to achieve. You will not row 10k every day, but you can meet your training goals every day if you commit and stay motivated enough.

Goal Setting Worksheet Resources

An effective goal setting worksheet looks different for everybody because we all have different preferences and requirements. Here are guidelines for creating the best one for you.

Keep It Simple

The best goal setting worksheet is simple, straightforward and easy to understand. You should be able to tell as soon as you look at it where you are, the steps you need to take to accomplish your goals and whether you are moving backward or forward.

Lead and Lag Measures

Lead measures are factors you can change and predict what will happen if these steps are taken. Lag measures are things you have no control over. You cannot act on or influence them. Do not focus your attention on lag measures. Focus on lead measures. Influencing factors you have control over take you closer to achieving your goals.

Time Frame

Deadlines create intention and motivate you to take actionable steps influencing lead measures. Once you decide when you will accomplish your goal, determine what steps you need to achieve your goal and decide on deadlines for those. This will help you stay on track.

Most Important Goal

You may have 10 or 20 goals you want to accomplish, but it is important to visualize the one or two most important goals. This will help you prioritize and stay on track. If you want to save up for a down payment on a house, buy a motorcycle, and visit Japan, you may pick up a second job, work overtime, or not eat out. However, knowing which is the most important to you will help you prioritize what you do with the money you have.

Scoreboard

Your goal setting worksheet should show you at a glance if you are successfully getting closer to achieving your goals. Even if you are not meeting every deadline due to lag measures or lack of focus or motivation, you should be able to see this easily. Some people find it helpful to track their progress visually on their goal setting worksheet by using stickers when they complete a step or writing positive notes in cute colors.

Motivation

The most successful goal setting worksheet will motivate you. Once you determine what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it, ask yourself why you want to achieve that goal. You want to row a marathon by Thanksgiving. You have the what and when identified in your goal, but there is no reason given for why. If you can remind yourself of why this goal is important to you every time you look at your worksheet, it will motivate you to take the steps needed every day to reach your goal.

It is important to set lower bounds to your goals to help you stay on track. However, it is also important to set upper bounds, so you do not burn out. You plan to row a million meters before you attempt your first marathon. You set your deadline and break your goals up monthly, weekly and daily. Set an upper limit for yourself such as you will not increase distance, time, or intensity by over 15% per week.

Map

Your goal setting worksheet should be a clear roadmap of how to accomplish your goal. Let’s say your most important goal (MIG) for the year is to row a marathon. Your worksheet should show you each step you need to take. It should show you how many hours of cross training and meters of rowing you need along with rest days and meal plans for proper nutrition. It should be a simple, foolproof guide that only lag measures can deter you from.

Templates

Here are links to the 10 best goal setting worksheets on the internet. Use one of these or use the inspiration from them and the seven tips above to create the best one for you. 

Other Goal Setting Resources

If goal setting worksheets do not work for you, there are several other goal setting resources available. Books, podcasts, planners, apps, timers, and more are all great tools for people with different needs.

Timer

A timer is a great goal setting resource. If you can commit only 20 minutes per day to work out, set a timer for 20 minutes and get your heart rate up. If you have a goal of 30 minutes of meditation per day, but you can only spare 10 minutes at a time between all your other responsibilities, set your timer for 10 minutes, and do what you can with what you have.

It is human nature to procrastinate. If you give yourself 10 hours to clean the house, it will be 10 hours before you complete the task. However, give yourself two hours to clean the house, and you will be more clearly focused and clean the house in two hours. This is the importance of a timer.

Apps

There are apps to help you achieve many types of goals. One of the most popular goals people set for themselves each year is to improve their physical fitness. The online “Couch to 5k” program now has an app which allows you to track your progress and keeps you motivated throughout the entire process. It is more battery efficient than other imitation apps because it sends audio notifications when it is time to walk or run when another app is in use or your screen is locked. If you do not have a smart phone, you can just use the timer on your phone and a free printable version of the plan.

Websites

There are many websites available to help us meet our goals. If you are interested in weight loss, there are several online communities with friendly users on the forums sharing helpful information. EMeals is a subscription-based website that comes with ready-made grocery lists if you are still learning what healthy food to shop for. The site has a great variety in its menus, with easy to follow step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the meals. It even comes as an intuitive app that stores shopping lists and recipes. It takes the stress out of meal planning and even comes with a free 14-day trial if you are not sure if the website is for you.

MyFitnessPal is another great website and app that allows you to track your caloric intake and expenditures and turns working toward goals into a game. It helps you stay motivated and keeps you honest even when on the go.

Podcasts

Podcasts are another great resource for those looking to set and achieve goals. Download or listen to podcasts about what goals are, how to set them and how to improve your chances of success. Listen to podcasts about how to build better habits, organize your office space, or keep your house clean. If you can think of a search term or topic you want to learn more about, there is probably a podcast for it.

The best thing about podcasts is they are much more accessible than books if you have a smartphone. You can read a book on your morning or evening commute if you take a train or bus, but you can listen to a podcast in your car or while going for a walk. Also, some people prefer audio to reading. Remember, find the tools to help you that suit your individual needs.

Books

Some of us prefer to hold a physical book in our hands and turn the pages. You can add sticky tabs to pages, so you can mark places you want to revisit and take notes. There are books on how to de-stress, de-clutter, lose weight, and achieve any form of success. One of the best books to help you achieve your goals is “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast” by Laura Vanderkam. It goes beyond helpful tips and provides anecdotes and interviews applicable to anyone, from stay-at-home dads to aspiring CFOs.

Conclusion

Goals steer our lives toward happiness, fulfillment, and success. Goal setting using tools such as goal setting worksheets give us a detailed, actionable plan to get us there. When setting goals, carefully consider why you want to accomplish them because success comes with intention, dedication, hard work, and sacrifice. You may want to row a marathon, but you have to know why you are rowing to get you through the days you aren’t as motivated to fuel your body properly, hydrate adequately, or put in the long hours of exercise.

Once you have set a goal, set yourself a deadline and list the actionable, achievable steps you can take every day. Look forward, but also look backward. This will keep you motivated and happier when you see your progress weekly rather than waiting months to achieve your final goal.

Keep yourself motivated with visual cues such as coins, paperclips or stickers on a calendar. Coins and paperclips are useful for tracking daily progress while calendars show consistency in your success. Make sure the steps you are tracking on your calendar are achievable.

You can easily find goal setting worksheet templates online, or create one yourself completely customized to your needs now you know what to find in a useful one. You can also incorporate other great resources, such as timers to prevent procrastination, books and podcasts on how to be successful, and websites and apps to keep you honest and motivated while tracking your progress.

Answer what, why, when, and how for what you want to achieve in life. Practice consistency and you will be unstoppable. Control your lead measures to get you closer to your goal. Mitigate lag measures as best as possible. Finally, understand setbacks happen, but the important thing is to keep trying every day.

Adult Learning
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