“I want to be more confident.”

Who hasn’t wanted that in their life? I know I have.

The problem with these kinds of goals is that they are so vague that I’d rather call them wishes. And wishes don’t come true on their own as we already know Santa Claus doesn’t exist (sorry!).

However, you can turn your wishes into reality by setting goals and changing your habits. Whether you want to set personal development goals, relationship goals or career goals, your goals should be so specific that even a dumb robot can interpret them. Like a robot takes a specific set of instructions, your mind also needs specificity to turn goals into actions and then into reality.

In a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers divided 85 college students into two groups. The first group went through a goal-setting program to improve performance while the second group didn’t. They also made sure that the goals were clear and specific.

After 4 months, they measured the performance of both groups and found that the goal-setting group showed a significant improvement in performance compared with the control group. They also found that specific goals, in particular, were more effective than poorly defined “do your best” goals.

Now if you’re ready to set personal development goals and want some ideas, below you’ll find a list of examples to achieve your personal goals.

34 Personal Development Goals Examples

Become a morning person and sleep better by going to bed at 9 pm and waking up at 5 am. Become more productive by doing 4 Pomodoro sessions on the most important tasks first thing at work. Stay focused by only checking social media once every 4 hours. Become more organized by decluttering and organizing every Sunday at 10 am. Make 2x more money by developing skills, getting a promotion, changing jobs, starting a side hustle or growing a business by the end of the year. Save 5% more money by budgeting and spending less on the things that don’t bring value to your life. Start working out to stay fit by using a workout app (like Fitbod) 5 days a week at 7 am. Start doing yoga to become more flexible and mobile by doing an hour-long session every Thursday and Sunday at 7 am. Eat healthier by banning junk food in the house, only buying healthy foods that fulfill you and pre-planning your meals for the next day after dinner each day. Drink more water by always carrying a filled water bottle with you and keeping it within your arm’s reach. Become more active throughout the day by moving your body after every hour you sit. Start meditating 2 minutes a day for one week, then 5 minutes a day next week and then 10 minutes a day the week after that at 8:30 pm each day. Practice mindfulness to become more aware by doing 2-minute sessions 3 times a day before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Manage your stress by doing deep breathing sessions every time you feel tense in your body or anxious in your mind. Become kinder by doing one random act of kindness a day for 2 weeks. Improve social skills by meeting a stranger a day for 2 weeks. Improve friendships by catching up with one friend a day for 2 weeks. Nurture relationships by spending at least 1 hour per day with them without distractions. Strengthen the relationship with your significant other by going on a date night every Saturday. Become a better listener by deep listening to people in the next 10 conversations. Expand your network by sending 1 email per weekday to the people you want to connect with. Become a better public speaker by joining toastmasters and going there 1 day per week. Become wiser or more knowledgeable by reading 30 minutes a day every day at 6:30 am. Learn a new skill using the right learning method for 30 minutes every day at 6:30 pm. Practice your skills by doing 30 minutes of deliberate practice every day at 7 pm. Become a better writer by writing 500 words per day first thing in the morning. Become a better decision-maker by learning 1 mental model per day. Start journaling to rewire your brain and become more happy, creative, aware, etc. by writing in your journal every morning at 6 am and every evening at 8:30 pm. Be more grateful by keeping a gratitude journal and writing 5 things you’re grateful for each day. Become a more positive being by reframing at least 1 thought per day in your journal during the evening routine at 6 pm. Love yourself more by rewarding yourself and practicing self-care every day. Hire a coach or a mentor and follow-through to fast-track your progress and stay accountable in any area of life that you need help with. Do a weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly review to stay proactive and on track with your goals in all areas of life. Get out of your comfort zone by taking a solo trip to a foreign country next month.

These are mere examples of personal development goals and are not set in stone. You can be flexible, make up your own personal goals and personalize them as long as they help you move forward.

Having all these ideas for goals doesn’t mean you start working on a lot of them at once. Decide what you want to focus on at this time in life and do it until you reach your goal before moving on to others.

Once you’ve set the goal, all you have to do is follow-through your commitment. For that, you can track using a daily success checklist.

Now if you want step-by-step instruction on how to make your personal development goals a reality, you can download your free personal development plan template below.